The recent criticism of Charles De Ketelaere hasn’t exactly come to an end and this prompted Stefano Pioli to defend the players once again, following AC Milan’s 2-1 win against Spezia yesterday.
De Ketelaere arrived for a fee of €35m and naturally, the expectations are clearly high as everyone knows the talent he is. The start has been anything but successful, though, with a lack of impact and a lot of criticism from the fans.
Speaking to Sky Italia, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli was asked about De Ketelaere and he reiterated that the youngster simply needs time to adapt. It’s never easy for a young player to move abroad and perform immediately.
“I still foresee ups and downs, it’s normal for such a young player who has changed environment and his way of working. Charles has quality, talent, intelligence and availability. His growth will come but when is difficult to say. I’m absolutely convinced of his qualities.”
Milan have two games left ahead of the break, Cremonese and Fiorentina, and it remains to be seen if De Ketelaere will get the chance from start in either of these. It’s likely, and he will have to show what he can do then.
