Omari Hutchinson arrived at AC Milan on loan from Nottingham Forest, with a purchase option (acmilan.com)
Alexis Saelemaekers will miss several months after ankle surgery on Tuesday, and Italian media are calling on summer signing Omari Hutchinson to step up. Will the English youngster rise to the challenge?
Can Hutchinson seize this chance and cement his place as Milan’s next attacking spark?
Saelemaekers underwent ankle surgery in Amsterdam on Tuesday; Milan haven’t given a precise recovery period, but reports suggest a three‑to‑five‑month absence.
Saelemaekers hadn’t cemented a guaranteed starter role under new boss Ruben Amorim, making two starts and two substitute appearances before the break.Tuttomercatoweb notes Milan will now lean more on their summer arrivals.
Diego Moreira, who has netted three times in his first four Serie A games, is likely to feature more regularly in the starting XI while Saelemaekers is sidelined. Like his fellow countryman, Moreira offers versatility, able to operate as a wing‑back on either flank or as an advanced winger.
Saelemaekers often played as a wing‑back under Massimiliano Allegri last season, but this campaign he has started twice in a 3‑4‑2‑1, occupying one of the two attacking roles behind the striker.
This pressure has pushed Hutchinson to prove himself in the weeks ahead. The English forward has logged just 18 minutes in Serie A since his loan move, with a €40 million buy‑option looming for the summer.
His sole start for the Rossoneri came in the Europa League, ending with a halftime substitution during a 2‑0 home loss to Benfica.
Even with Saelemaekers out for three to five months, Hutchinson still battles stiff competition from Christian Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze and Alphadjo Cissé, all of whom have logged more minutes this season.