CM: Leao’s situation ‘very close to a breaking point’ – what happened with Fonseca | OneFootball

There are several worrying signs that emerged from AC Milan’s 2-0 defeat to Napoli last night, and one of them is once again Rafael Leao.

Calciomercato.com write how the first ‘postcard’ from the defeat to Napoli is the fact that Antonio Conte showed up to San Siro and won with relative ease, a coach Milan chose not to hire. The second is that the Rossoneri are now 11 points behind the leaders in the table.

The third, no less important, is the second benching in 10 days days for Leão, despite the last-minute unavailability of a player who is crucial for the attacking exploits of the team in Christian Pulisic.

In both his post-match interview after the Udinese game and last night against Napoli, Fonseca tried to downplay Leão’s situation by talking about it not being a saga.

Paradoxically, this is ‘the breaking point’ because for the first time in six years at Milan, the winger is considered a player equal to the others and no longer someone to lean on in times of difficulty.

Fonseca has made it clear that in his eyes Leao is now of the same importance as Okafor and Chukwueze, and a player who can go to the bench without it being an issue.

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There are no reports of heated arguments between the compatriots, and the dialogue between the two has always been direct and fair.

However, there were several signs that led to what seems to be something ‘very close to a breaking point’ such as the indolence shown in the away match in Parma and the benching against Lazio plus the cooling break saga.

It was a discussion before the Udinese game about the use of Leao with Portugal during the October international break that led to this new method of ‘management’ of the last 10 days.

What do the leadership think? At this moment the club are not taking a position in favour of Leao or Fonseca and hope this approach can stimulate the former Lille man. After all, he remains the highest-paid player and the real difference-maker.