With domestic football set to take a break for the World Cup, now is a good time to reflect on the opening stages of the 2022/23 Serie A season, and a look at how some of the summer signings have settled in with the Rossoneri.
Divock Origi
Striker Divock Origi signed a four-year deal with AC Milan back in July after his contract with Liverpool expired. The Belgian won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup in England, among other trophies. However, his time on Merseyside came to an end as he was seeking regular first-team football.
Divock Origi scores his first Serie A goal in some style! 💥#SerieA pic.twitter.com/HWgBkfVEjR
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2022
Origi has scored just one goal in 10 Serie A appearances so far. He will be hoping to improve his goal-scoring return when the league resumes in January. His sole goal came in a 4-1 victory over Monza.
The former Liverpool man has had some injury concerns this season and most of his appearances have come from the bench in Stefan Pioli’s team. He has missed out on his country’s squad for the 2022 World Cup which means he can get himself fully fit again for when the domestic action returns in early 2023.
Charles De Ketelaere
Milan’s most expensive signing of the summer was midfielder Charles De Ketelaere. They paid $32 million for the Belgian from Club Brugge. It was a huge coup for the club as he was linked with numerous major clubs across Europe, including Arsenal and Newcastle.
In his three seasons for Brugge, De Ketelaere scored 26 goals. He is still waiting for his first goal for the club, but that is likely to come in early 2023. Both Pioli and technical director Paolo Maldini are confident that their summer signing has a big future for the Rossoneri.
De Ketelaere is set to feature at the 2022 World Cup in a strong Belgium squad. As of the 17th of November, they are +1600 in the World Cup odds for the trophy in Qatar. The tournament is a great opportunity for the AC Milan player to show people what he is capable of.
The attacking midfielder has experience of playing in the UEFA Champions League for Brugge which is why he was included in Pioli’s squad list for the competition this season. He scored twice in the premier European competition for his former club. Pioli will be hoping he can produce some of his magic in the two-legged tie against Tottenham in February.
Junior Messias
Brazilian midfielder Junior Messias was on loan at AC Milan last season from Crotone and he was a big part of the club’s Serie A success., Milan paid $4.5 million for his services to make his move permanent back in the summer.
Junior Messias: 3⃣ goal involvements in his last 4⃣ #SerieA💎 games 🔥@acmilan pic.twitter.com/RkecmzHxv0
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) November 3, 2022
Messias scored six goals in all competitions last season. He has already found the back of the net three times in the latest campaign, so he could eclipse his total from last year. The attacking midfielder is a big threat when Milan goes forward.
Due to a muscle strain, Messias missed out on AC Milan’s final game before the World Cup break when they won 2-1 against Fiorentina. He is unlikely to be out for the long term and the international tournament means he does not need to rush himself back into training.
Alessandro Florenzi
Since joining from Roma in the summer, experienced right-back Alessandro Florenzi has only featured twice in the latest campaign, as he has been out since September with a leg injury.
Florenzi is aiming to return to action before Milan faces Tottenham in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The Italian, who was part of his country’s success at the European Championship in 2021, is likely to return to Pioli’s starting XI once he is available for selection again.
The former Roma captain is one of the leaders in the AC Milan team. When he does get back on the field for the team, it will be a big boost for the final push of what will be a busy end to the campaign.
AC Milan will have the chance to add to their squad in the January transfer window as they prepare for the second half of the season in Serie A and the Champions League.
