Paolo Maldini has admitted that Charles De Ketelaere is ‘suffering’ at AC Milan but has urged patience and backed him to show his worth in time.
De Ketelaere was Milan’s big signing of the summer after winning the Scudetto as he arrived from Club Brugge for a fee widely reported to be above €30m, but so far he has not exactly hit the ground running and has started the last few games on the bench.
Brahim Diaz and Rade Krunic both seem to be above the Belgian in the pecking order at the moment but Roberto Martinez clearly believes in his qualities and has therefore called him up for the World Cup.
After last night’s game against Fiorentina Maldini spoke to DAZN because Stefano Pioli was absent from post-match interviews due to a family bereavement and the director was asked about De Ketelaere, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“He is suffering, it is a different environment with different pressures. He has more knowledge than before. We signed a five-year contract with Charles not five months, we are waiting for him, just as we are waiting for Origi. They have everything to be decisive. We have had many examples of players who took a while to understand what is needed to play at Milan,” he said.
