AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli will look forward to a number of players returning from injury during the World Cup break, with Alexis Saelemaekers among them.
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MilanNews recall the words of Saelemaekers to the official channels of the Belgium national team as he reflected on the injury he sustained in the 3-1 win over Empoli earlier in the season: “When I got injured I knew it was something serious, but I remained calm anyway. I didn’t get agitated.”
Saelemaekers had damaged his medial collateral ligament in the same game that saw Alessandro Florenzi also suffer an injury that ended his 2022, meaning it was a cursed game until Fode Ballo-Tourè’s late winner.
The return of Saelemaekers should not be underestimated, as the winger had got off to a good start at the start of the season, scoring two goals in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb and against Red Bull Salzburg.
The Belgian was in excellent condition and the injury came at the worst time, but now the problem is just a bad memory and the 23-year-old will be able to return to demonstrating his importance with his work rate and tactical intelligence.
With the start of preparation from December 2 and the friendlies against Arsenal and Liverpool, Saelemaekers will have two significant tests to understand where he is at in terms of his condition. The season is still long, and there is plenty of time for Alexis to get into the groove he discovered a couple of months back.
