Renewal, mercato and sub-par performances feed into ‘Maignan doubts’

Mike Maignan missed the last match away to Juventus due to an adductor strain that he suffered in the warm-ups, and now a report has spoken of an uncertain future at AC Milan.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes that Milan have the worst defensive record of any team in the Champions League places in Serie A, and while the blame must be shared Maignan has also been lacking in certain games.

The responsibility lies with the department if not with the entire team, yet the feeling is that Magic Mike has disappeared and it is perhaps the worst season he has had since arriving at the club in 2021.

The desire

The paper states that the sub-par season has affected his mood too, with Maignan increasingly closed in on himself and ‘less available than other times to participate in squad life’.

Mike’s attention has always been focused on work, with obsessive attention to detail. When the results arrive, the enthusiasm grows. However, when it fails to make an impact, impatience increases.

In general he is obsessed with victory, a fixed thought, a desire which he fulfilled in France with the title won with Lille and also achieved the following season with the Scudetto at the first attempt in Serie A.

During the Champions League semi-final he had satisfied the desire to show off in Europe, but this year little or no gratification. A technical explanation may be linked to personal preparation: in the year of miracles he had a staff (Dida-Betti) which was then changed in recent months.

The mercato

It is situation that may have repercussions on the market. If Rafael Leao wants to stay, Maignan’s desire is to win, at Milan or elsewhere. Only Rafa and Theo would guarantee a more proceeds from a hypothetical sale, money which in any case would be reinvested in the incoming market.

It is an escape route that Maignan wants to keep open but which Milan will instead try to block by building an increasingly competitive team around him.