Simon Kjaer and Ruben Loftus-Cheek worked separately on the pitch yesterday, but there is mixed news regarding their presence in the next couple of matches as per a report.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below), there are good feelings about Loftus-Cheek and confidence is growing that he will be available on Saturday against Fiorentina, whereas for the Dane his return is postponed.
He still needs some time to make a complete recovery from the muscular fatigue that kept him out from before Napoli-Milan, so Kjaer will not be there against La Viola and risks also watching Tuesday’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund from the stands.
Stefano Pioli therefore faces the two key matches with a department that is in emergency, because Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw are the only fit centre-backs with Kjaer, Pierre Kalulu and Marco Pellegrino out due to injury.
The first alternative becomes the 18-year-old Primavera player Jan-Carlo Simic, brought to the bench for the first time in the defeat against Udinese. Simic is able to be called up for the league match against Fiorentina but not for the Champions League match against Dortmund because he is not on the UEFA squad list.
From this morning Pioli will work with all the available players, including the recently returned internationals. Davide Calabria and Christian Pulisic will be there, like Yunus Musah who is disqualified in Europe and is therefore certain of a place in midfield on Saturday.
Loftus-Cheek will play both, conditions permitting: if the Englishman is well enough he will start, and with him Milan are a totally different team as was seen against PSG.
