The wait is almost over as AC Milan prepare to resume the Serie A season at Salernitana on Wednesday, but Stefano Pioli has a major selection headache ahead of him.
In a far from ideal situation, the Rossoneri were dealt further injury concerns this week as Ante Rebic joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Divock Origi and Messias Junior in the treatment room, with La Gazzetta dello Sport expecting the quartet to sit out in midweek.
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With that in mind, Pioli is severely limited in terms of what he can do up front, and it will likely come down to a decision between either Olivier Giroud or Charles De Ketelaere leading the line.
Naturally, in normal circumstances it would seem a no-brainer with Giroud playing a key role for us again so far this season with nine goals and five assists in 19 appearances across all competitions.
However, although he did rejoin group training on Sunday along with Theo Hernandez, he was given an extended break following his exploits at the World Cup, and so it remains to be seen if he’s fully fit and mentally ready to come straight back into the Milan starting XI.
The next day or so will undoubtedly provide Pioli with the answer to that concern as he oversees further training sessions, but it’s not ideal to ask Giroud, 36, – who shouldered a heavy load prior to the World Cup too given the absences around him – to immediately come back in and lead our charge.
If he’s ready, perfect. Problem solved. If he’s not, Milan may well have to look to De Ketelaere to fill the void as well as he can despite severely lacking form and confidence prior to the break.
The early signs were promising for the 21-year-old, as after a lengthy pursuit from the Milan hierarchy, he showcased great technical quality and creativity in his initial appearances in a Milan shirt and it looked to be another brilliant bit of business.
However, he hasn’t registered a single goal or assist since late August, and so the hope is that he’s been able to refocus, recharge and hit the reset button ahead of returning to action this week.
It’s not a position or role that will concern him too much given he has played there for Club Brugge and Belgium before, and so to have that level of responsibility and pressure might be good for him to see how he reacts and responds to doubts over his ability to secure a key role at Milan.
There is belief that De Ketelaere will come good in time, and particularly if Giroud isn’t available or can only manage a limited outing, the Belgian must be ready to step in and start 2023 positively to kick-start his Milan career at a crucial time in our pursuit of another Serie A title.