Milan Not Irked by Subtle Leao Remarks with Portugal | OneFootball

Rafael Leao had some peculiar words after two sound appearances with Portugal, as he assisted versus Polonia and showed well off the bench against Scotland in their recent Nations League fixtures (via Corriere della Sera).

Milan have decided not to read too much into the words of Leao, which could have been interpreted as critical toward Paulo Fonseca, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs (via Tuttomercatoweb). The under-fire boss didn’t feel slighted either. Nothing will come from it.

The Portuguese star has been used as a sub just once this season, against Lazio, following a woeful display versus Parma. He made his presence felt, though, scoring his lone goal of the season so far. On the other hand, he has already dished four assists. It was also the game of the ‘cooling break incident,’ which was quickly downplayed by everybody involved.

There’s no issue between the two, neither personal nor related to position and tactics.

Our Take on Leao

Statements while away from the team should always be taken with a grain of salt, and sometimes things get lost in translation or misinterpreted; plus, he didn’t say anything shocking. Milan could surely use a more consistent and impactful version of him, but that’s been the case for a few years. He is who he is at this point, and there’s probably little any coach can do about it.