Luka Modric hopes that he has not yet played his final game of the season for AC Milan, and he was back at the training complex on Tuesday.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report that Modric is racing to be back on the pitch before the end of the season. Just eight days after undergoing surgery on his left cheekbone last Monday, he showed up at Milanello yesterday morning at 10:00am.
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He’s ahead of schedule, given that he was supposed to rest for at least 10-15 days. Instead, the midfielder is raring to go and – in addition to his goal of being a key player at the World Cup – he also wants to help Milan secure Champions League qualification.
This doesn’t just involve encouraging his team-mates or being seen undergoing physiotherapy or working out in the gym. The former Ballon d’Or winner wants to be a key player on the pitch, setting an example by gritting his teeth in the most delicate moments.
When a leader like him, at 40 years of age and with such a huge trophy cabinet, pushes himself to be on the bench in Genoa on the penultimate matchday or on the pitch against Cagliari, the others can only follow. It’s a positive energy for the group.
The masked man
On Monday, Luka went to the La Madonnina clinic to have the stitches removed from his face. For an ‘ordinary’ patient, a day of rest yesterday would have been normal, but instead the former Real Madrid player’s only wish was to return to the training centre.
He entered the building, had breakfast and then underwent physiotherapy to reduce the swelling in his face and individual work. He stayed until lunch, when he ran into some other players who had arrived for the afternoon session.
Modric’s recovery will be gradual: for now, only lower-body exercises in the gym, but by the end of the week he’ll be doing solo running on the pitch. The plan is to have him wear a special protective mask in a week or ten days, when it will be possible to mould it correctly, to a less swollen face.
Until then, any physical exertion or contact is absolutely prohibited. Loads will be limited, and the medical staff already knows it will be necessary to protect him him. Especially since the surgery was certainly not trivial, and he still can’t eat normally.
Before returning to the field – even for a ‘real’ training session with a mask and his team-mates – he will have to undergo further instrumental tests, which have not been scheduled for now. They may be carried out next week if his progress continues to be significant.
European dreams
Modric wants to stay at Milan next year, so he’s ready to play his part to help them achieve their objective. If points are needed against the Sardinian side in the final game, he won’t hold back and will try to play. He could be on the bench on Sunday against Atalanta, but he’ll clearly only be a spectator.
Certainly, the verve and desire he displays now are a counter-balance to the team’s lacklustre and flawed attitude in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo. Without him, the team has lost its leader and the result on the pitch was merciless.
While the initial prognosis was six weeks before he’d be back to his best, he wants to take half that time to be available for Massimiliano Allegri. He’s driven by heart and passion for football and for Milan.
He’s well aware that Victor Osimhen was out with a similar injury lasted 55 days, but he’s taken a close look at Edin Dzeko’s recovery schedule. He was out for just two weeks after surgery for a fractured cheekbone in October 2019.
That’s why he’s targeting the trip to Genoa, although a more realistic option could be against Cagliari. He hopes to return when Milan are no longer as close to the edge as they are now in the Champions League race, and he hopes his colleagues will listen to Allegri.
Yesterday, the coach appealed to the players’ sense of responsibility and asked them to achieve their goal for themselves, for the club, and for the fans. He doesn’t want everything to be ruined with the finish line so close. Having Modric would give him a hand and the Croatian wants to help.
We reduced ourselves to this kind of self-sacrifice, now not even a victory against Cagliari at San Siro
is a certainty. Do we really expect something from redbird? I sure don’t, the first season was enough.
When did Milan become satisfied with 1/2 of CL and when was it ever acceptable to be complacent with the elimination inflicted by your direct rivals? And it wasn’t even an interesting two-match, they qualified to the finals fairly easily and without too much hustle. Don’t you remember why we actually ended in the 4th place that season instead of being in the 5th place? Just remind yourself what happened then. Of course I don’t feel sorry for rubentus, I hate their guts and wish them all the worst, they deserved much graver punishment but from being a champion in ’22 to the fifth place with 20 points behind Napoli, it’s a huge disgrace. Even if Napoli ended being 10th after their title in ’23, it doesn’t justify and diminish what happened to us, not to mention that we already experienced a classical meltdown of sort in the 2020/21 season but it was nothing in comparison to this 2022/23. Firstly, why was Milan sold after and not before the summer transfer window in 2022? Secondly, if they wanted to give peace and serenity to Maldini and co. during the window, why wasn’t some kind of a credit/loan included in the deal, some kind of a guarantee that redbird would start running ACM by financing that summer which was of the utmost importance for upgrading the squad and the club in general, ideal for improving by buying minimum 3 to 4 strong names? We should ask and repeat that question every day although we all already know the answer, this incompetent man has no real ambition and he got lost! I really don’t know what led him to us and why and how come we deserve(d) this fate when it is obvious that he doesn’t know a first thing about anything, he doesn’t even know about our history (his exact words, he said he wasn’t at all aware of our silverware and our trophies & achievements) and doesn’t attend the matches, he rarely even visits the city of Milano, much less holy “San Siro” where he should and would be every time if he were a real president and a serious public figure. Harsh and strong pressure backed (up) by an objective critic is exactly what we need right now, not again some leniency and rotten and futile compromises.
“When did Milan become satisfied with 1/2 of CL and when was it ever acceptable to be complacent with the elimination inflicted by your direct rivals? ”
Pretty much 10-15 years ago when Berlusconi & Galliani ran out of Milan money. But there was a brief exception when Maldini was in them management but that was a quick period of time and feels like ages ago.
His engine is truly impressive. A class act!
why he don’t just stay at home & collect his salary even w/out sweating, $ b4 football right?
he’s not match w/ redbird philosophy just like Maldini, furlani must be really hate him cz Modric act like he’s a ballon d’or winner, kick him out, no player bigger than ac murican!