GdS: ‘The Riyadh plan’ – Fonseca hoping Leao can return and engineer trophy win | OneFootball

Rafael Leao and Paulo Fonseca have not had a perfect relationship to date, but the coach plans to rely on his winger to win the Supercoppa Italiana.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Leao was in Portugal during the Christmas break to see his twins and on Boxing Day (December 26) he did physiotherapy. It is the best way to spend the time recovering from a flexor strain, and the goal now is to go to Riyadh and make a difference.

Leao will soon undergo further tests and will try to speed things up but it is impossible for him to play on Sunday night against Roma. The main issue is to understand if he will be able to take the field against Juve on January 3 in the semi-final.

At the moment it is more unlikely than likely, but the next few days will be decisive. Considering his importance for Milan, forcing things would be risky. Christian Pulisic, to be clear, is much further ahead: he will already be available against Roma even if likely to come off the bench.

Milan’s idea with Leao is clear and it is to take him to Riyadh anyway, hoping he can play in the semi-final or in the final, if his team-mates get the job done. It would be an important recovery and would boost the chances of securing a trophy.

Leao this season is first among Milan players for assists, second for expected goals and expected assists, first for progressive passes, clearly first for shots and shot-creating actions. His importance, after a difficult start to the season, cannot be understated.