CorSport: Saelemaekers to face parent club Milan – why his situation is a ‘real mystery’ | OneFootball

AC Milan will play Roma on Sunday night at the Stadio Olimpico in a game that will see two loanees face off against their parent clubs.

As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via MilanPress), Roma versus Milan is also the clash between Alexis Saelemaekers and Tammy Abraham, who are playing against the clubs they are technically owned by.

The Belgian arrived in Rome at the end of the summer transfer window with the Englishman going the other way. They were completed as dry loan operations though, meaning there was/is no guarantee of anything beyond June.

Saelemaekers initially struggled to stay fit but after Claudio Ranieri arrived he became very important. Between December 7 and March 2 (13 league games), the wing-back scored six goals. In the last three games, however, Ranieri has only played the former Anderlecht man for four minutes.

It is a ‘real mystery’ given his performances prior to being benched. Roma, perhaps, will do everything to keep him at a more advantageous price, or have already decided not to buy Saelemaekers given that Milan are not expected to try sign Abraham permanently.

In short, Saelemaekers has gradually disappeared from the starting 11, although a starting spot on Sunday does not seem so utopian.