Mike Maignan has suffered yet another muscle injury with AC Milan and what filters out from the French national team camp is a bit of alarm, reports claim.
Maignan suffered an adductor strain during the warm-ups ahead of Juventus-Milan on Saturday and it forced him to miss the game. The MRI scan he underwent confirmed the presence of a strain that will keep him out for at least 10-15 days.
As Calciomercato.com write, it is another short but significant period of absence in an incredibly troubled season for Maignan, and this has alerted the press back in his home country.
Both L’Equipe and Le Figaro are questioning his centrality in the French national team given the expectation level surrounding them, because Les Bleus will begin the European Championship as favourites.
The latter source writes: ‘This new injury to the Milanese is not reassuring for Didier Deschamps, who will announce the list of the Tricolores for the Euro on May 16. According to our information, Les Blues entourage are carefully following the case and was able to exchange documents with the AC Milan staff. They do not want to be alarmist.
‘The 2022 world vice-champion, No.1 goalkeeper for the Blues ahead of Brice Samba and Alphonse Areola since the international retirement of Hugo Lloris, has already experienced several physical problems this season: adductor, thigh, knee. He is out for the next Serie A match next weekend in the 35th round’.
During the season – after Hugo Lloris’ retirement from the national team – Maignan became the starter for France, but Didier Deschamps was forced to deal with complications several times related to the physical condition of the ex-Lille star.
There is time to recover for the European Championship, the injury is not serious, but by May 16th (the day of the squad list being confirmed) Maignan will have to be recovered and at 100% or there could be some reflections.
Deschamps will have to evaluate various options which above all concern the management of the fitness of his goalkeeper who, however, barring surprises, may not be available before the first days of June (along with Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud) because of Milan’s trip to Australia.
If he were to leave for Australia then it would probably rule out the possibility of carrying out new physical preparation in view of the Euros, which would be a necessary boost – according to the France staff – to ‘compensate for the work done so far in Milan’.
In addition to the concerns expressed above by the French press, Calciomercato.com also believe a crossroads will arrive regarding Maignan’s future at Milan because of his requests to renew amid a dip in form.
France used to have a lot of quality gks now they got a handful at most. Every other position can be filled thrice, gk not so much
Another injury for Mike. Not that we have anything to play for the last four games, but MagicMike has been far from invincible this season, in goal tending and in health…
Are we still talking about offloading someone in the summer?
For me he’s almost a must sell at this point. We bought him for 13m so there is no doubt we will make a good profit. I have never known a goalkeeper to suffer this many injuries. It’s astonishing. His salary demands are almost offensive in a season where his performances have been declining and his health is always in doubt. Time to move on.