The suggestions are that Charles De Ketelaere could well get a start against Sassuolo on Sunday, and it is time for him to demonstrate his abilities.
MilanNews recall a moment back on 3 January 2021 when Milan won against Benevento and Rafael Leao scored a wonderful goal where he lobbed the keeper who had come off his line, and celebrated by pointing to where a watch would be and stating: “It’s our time.”
Leao was right, as Milan won the Scudetto last year and all of a sudden that ‘young core’ of Fikayo Tomori, Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Pierre Kalulu, Theo Hernandez, Davide Calabria and Leao himself became established stars.
Then we come to Charles De Ketelaere, for whom the management invested €32m plus €3m in bonuses. The amount leaves no room for interpretation: he is a player that Milan are building their project around, along with others.
However, the Belgian found a culture, a language, a way of playing football and a different type of game, and as a result he has not yet managed to get out of his shell. He showed very bright signs early in the season but seems to have got lost, though there are those who still continue to defend the 21-year-old.
Leao and Tonali took time to get to grips with the pressures of a club like Milan, but expectations have rightly changed and so has the time available which is why De Ketelaere has come under such scrutiny.
The start of 2023 has brought about a very difficult moment with just one win in six to begin the new year, but it would be foolish to think of clinging to a player born in 2001 who is already experiencing a delicate moment on his own.
However, in order to get out of the quagmire, Pioli must also be able to make the most of those who at the moment have been used less. That is why the Sassuolo game could well be the right moment for De Ketelaere to prove his worth.
