Charles De Ketelaere seems all set to get a start during tomorrow night’s game against Fiorentina and Stefano Pioli is hoping once again that it will spark him into life.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall that De Ketelaere has not been in the starting line-up at all during the winning run as the last time he was named in the XI was in the 5-2 defeat at home against Sassuolo when he came off at half-time.
Any potential doubts were swept away by the news that Brahim Diaz is struggling with a sprained knee, which means he will miss tomorrow’s game at the Franchi, so now the impetus is on De Ketelaere to shine.
At the moment the Belgian’s story at Milan has been one of false dawns and big missed chances – the ones against Tottenham and Monza (both home and away) spring to mind – but a common belief from team-mates, fans and the management that he will eventually begin to climb.
Before the match against Atalanta, Pioli had some words of encouragement for De Ketelaere: “I’ve talked a lot with Charles since he arrived, he’s fitting into an overall system different from the one he knew and never like in the last few weeks has he I see so convinced and determined, mentally and physically. He’s not just a good guy, he’ll make us win games. I imagine his first goal as lucky, everything will be easier from there.”
Giroud’s recent statements echoed this: “He needs a goal to change everything, like what happened against Torino for the whole team. Also because he scored against Sampdoria, but it was disallowed for my offside. I hope he scores in London.”
De Ketelaere is growing in terms of the amount of balls played and shots taken, but it is time to repay the faith and justify the hopes of those around him.
