:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47447486/GettyImages-489164292.0.jpg)
Keisuke Honda has struggled to fit into Sinisa Mihajlovic's system since the managerial change at Milan. He certainly did not help matters by hitting back at Mihajlovic after the Serbian boss made comments about Milan's struggles.
There may be a solution to the issues surrounding the Japanese international.
According to reports in England, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton are set to make approaches for the 29-year-old midfielder in the winter. Everton had been linked with Honda over the summer, when it was suggested Honda wanted away.
It is time for Honda to go.
Honda's time at Milan has been uninspiring. After so much fanfare and excitement surrounding his arrival, he has been a letdown. Once considered one of the best and most exciting attacking midfielders in the game, Honda has not been able to produce the same results he did at CSKA Moscow and VVV. He struggled in the latter half of 2013-14 after making his debut, and while he bounced back with six Serie A goals the following season, it was still uninspiring.
Things have gotten worse this season. He has made four Serie A appearances this year, including an awful showing in the Milan Derby. Honda, who has done a lot of complaining about Milan's investment in the squad, has been underwhelming, doing nothing to help the struggles in the attack.
And it is ironic Honda is criticizing the lack of investment when the club, which had been interested in Honda for years, let his contract run out at CSKA before bringing him in.
Mihajlovic's 4-3-1-2 is not really working out for Milan, and Honda has failed miserably to fit into the system. With interest from the Premier League, especially two top-half sides in the Premier League, this could be a win-win for Honda and Milan. Honda's current value is about 11 million euros, down from 20 million when he first arrived at the club. But after a free transfer, anything Milan can get is a profit. For a struggling player who was supposed to be a star, that is a blessing. For Honda, a change of scenery may be the best way to go.
Or maybe Honda's form turns around after the international break, Milan starts scoring some goals and everything is hunky-dory again. But that is asking for a lot, given the current circumstances.