Stefano Pioli has named his 24-man squad for the upcoming Europa League knockout phase, with Stade Rennais up first. There are no huge surprises but the youngster Jan-Carlo Simic has not been included.
Pioli was asked about the squad list during his pre-Frosinone press conference on Saturday. He confirmed that Simic would not be included as he cannot be added to ‘List B’, which is reserved for youngsters who have played at least two years in the academy.
At most, a team can include 25 players in the squad but eight of these have to be club/association-trained, with four of each. Thanks to the signings of Marco Sportiello and Filippo Terracciano, Milan were able to name 24 players this time out instead of 23.
List A
Goalkeepers: Maignan, Mirante, Sportiello.
Defenders: Calabria, Gabbia, Florenzi, Kalulu, Kjaer, Theo Hernandez, Thiaw, Terracciano, Tomori.
Midfielders: Adli, Bennacer, Loftus-Cheek, Musah, Pobega, Reijnders.
Forwards: Chukwueze, Giroud, Jovic, Leao, Okafor, Pulisic.
List A (Club-trained)
Calabria, Gabbia; Pobega.
List A (Association-trained)
Mirante, Sportiello; Florenzi, Terracciano.
Malick Thiaw is closing in on a return, and Fikayo Tomori should follow, so it only makes sense to include them in the squad. On the other hand, Kalulu could perhaps have been replaced by Simic instead, as the Frenchman should be back in March/April.
