It was quite a different international break for Aster Vranckx compared to his AC Milan team-mates, as he used it as a great chance to get game time in his legs rather than it being an inconvenience.
Calciomercato.com report that Vranckx was the second-most busy Milan international in the recent break (after Malick Thiaw with Germany U21s) as the midfielder players 160 minutes across two games with Belgium U21s, divided between a game against the Netherlands (70′) and France (90′).
He played with the captain’s armband on, as a central midfielder alongside Eliot Matazo in the 3-4-1-2 against the Orange, and then together with Matisse Samoise in a 4-2-3-1 against Pierre Kalulu and his team-mates.
The former Wolfsburg midfielder needed to get some game time given that he was played only two games so far this season, with 7′ coming for Wolfsburg against Bayern Munich before his move to Milan, where he racked up 12′ against Sampdoria but only that one appearance.
However, things are looking brighter because Vranckx has a month of work behind him under Stefano Pioli, and also there is the fact that Milan need a profile with his physical and technical characteristics so that Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer are not overused.
Two games against Chelsea and a big home clash with Juventus are on the horizon, while Milan will play 12 matches between October 1 and November 13. Vranckx is not in the UEFA squad list but is ready to make his mark in Serie A with the aim of convincing Milan to keep him.