Milan boss Stefano Pioli insists the Rossoneri ‘must be united’ against Empoli, so they won’t miss their injured stars Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan.
Theo suffered a muscle injury against Napoli in the last game before the international break two weeks ago and didn’t even join his national France. On the other hand, his compatriot Maignan suffered an injury while on international duty and has been ruled out for up to a month.
“We’ll play 12 games in 44 days, but we should not change our mentality. I don’t like when I hear that we must manage our energies. We should always give our all,” Pioli said at a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s away game with Empoli.
“I liked what I saw these days. Rebic will be called up, he feels well. Origi is recovering but is still not available, like Theo and Maignan.”
Does he fear he will miss the French pair?
“We are a united group, I trust all my players tomorrow we must play as a united,” Pioli replied.
“Tatarusanu knows how to play with the ball at his feet, but giving options to who has the ball will be more important. We must be ready.”
Fode Ballo-Touré, one of the potential replacements for Theo, has been struggling with playing time last season and Pioli was asked if it’s true that he doesn’t trust the Senegal full-back.
“It’s a silly thing, I trust him so much, but of course, he is competing with top players in that position,” Pioli claimed.
“He has improved a lot and he is here because I trust him. I will field the best lineup tomorrow, I am not thinking about Chelsea.”
Milan want to bounce back after a 2-1 loss at home against Napoli two weeks ago. They will then visit Chelsea in London in the third Champions League Group stage game on Wednesday, October 5.