Charles De Ketelaere has struggled to assert himself in the AC Milan XI thus far and the criticism hasn’t been lacking. However, more time is needed to judge him fairly, as we have seen so many times before.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
The Belgian arrived for a fee of €35m in the summer and due to the price tag, there have obviously been high expectations. De Ketelaere hasn’t managed to live up to them just yet, but there is no reason for Milan to be worried.
As highlighted by our colleagues at SempreMilan.it, the reality is that De Ketelaere is a 21-year-old that only just made the jump to the big stage. Yesterday’s clash, to make matters worse, highlighted all the difficulty that the player is experiencing.
The missed opportunity and the immediate return to the locker room couldn’t have made it any clearer. De Ketelaere is frustrated with his performances but there is no reason for Milan to be worried about their star signing.
We have seen it all many times before, from Tonali to Leao, even reaching Brahim Diaz, but also Kalulu and Bennacer. Every young player must have time to adapt to Milan’s system and then be judged fairly.
Fortunately, the Rossoneri management includes profiles of competence, who are perfectly aware of all these aspects and have no intention of putting De Ketelaere under scrutiny. Stefano Pioli has said it many times and the fans must also realise that the path is long, but hopefully well worth it.
