AC Milan are expected to stick with Rafael Leao, despite the ongoing disappointment and frustration over his inability to unlock his potential.
As noted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, it’s suggested that the Rossoneri aren’t considering an exit for the Portuguese ace this summer, but a ‘turning point’ is needed next season to prove that he warrants a continued presence in the current squad.
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The 21-year-old had an underwhelming campaign last year, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
When you consider some of those contributions came late in games off the bench, and with the goals in Serie A coming against the likes of Benevento, Torino, Spezia and Parma, it wasn’t a season to remember for Leao.
Yet despite that, the report above suggests that Milan still have faith in him and will remain patient in trying to get the best of him moving forward as he clearly isn’t the finished product.
On one hand, that is fair and there is no doubt that the coaching staff must do a better job with him to help improve, while Stefano Pioli must now use him as a winger as he has failed to deliver on countless occasions when stepping into the role of leading the line for Milan.
That role simply doesn’t suit him, and he doesn’t suit it. Instead of persevering with a failing experiment, we have to give him every chance of being a success by playing him where he can be more impactful.
That said, Leao’s lack of cutting edge and overall quality in the final third coupled with the perceived attitude and lack of effort that he gives off at times, makes it more and more difficult to side with the argument that he just needs more time.
At this level, especially as we now prepare for a return to the Champions League, Milan can’t afford to show faith in players who are simply not producing on a consistent basis when there are arguably better options out there to take their respective place.
As per Goal.com, we spent €35m to sign him from Lille in 2019, and so if we want to avoid that being a very expensive mistake, we need to assess his valuation next summer if he does indeed fail to deliver again next season.
Leao has the talent. He has the raw attributes in terms of his pace, confidence and frame to be a nightmare for defenders. Too often though we’ve been left disappointed and annoyed with his efforts on the pitch and there must come a time when Milan accept enough is enough.
Ultimately, it’s hoped that we do get the best out of him. He has what it takes to be a real asset for us and if he does fulfil his potential, we have a serious talent on our hands.
However, if he experiences another poor season next year which in turn impacts our ambitions and success on the pitch both at home and in Europe, then it will unfortunately need another look as to whether we can afford to continue to rely on him.
Comparisons to M’Baye Niang are arguably quite lazy and unfair. That said, he may well follow a similar path to him if he doesn’t start to step up and take his game through the gears to show that he can be a pivotal figure for Milan in the long run.