AC Milan Could Loan Out Centre Back After Injury Stricken Season

Tuttosport via MilanNews.it are reporting that AC Milan could look to loan out new arrival Leo Duarte after a difficult debut season. The defender arrived from Flamengo last summer and despite some promising signs early on, he was devastated by a long term ankle injury that sidelined him for the entire season. He managed to bag 6 appearances all season which is quite low given he was expected to be a potential starter when the season kicked off. Duarte recovered in July but had a minor re-occurence which ruled out him of a return for the final couple of games of the season. Stefano Pioli did manage to give him 11 minutes of play in the final game of the season.

The report notes that Duarte will not leave permanently but rather that he could leave on a loan spell to recover his match fitness and to gain some experience playing in Serie A. The club want him to play in Italy to further develop thus will not look at a return to Brazil for the player. Milan are looking to purchase a starting centre back this summer and have the likes of Matteo Gabbia, Mateo Musacchio, Alessio Romagnoli and Simon Kjaer who will form the core of the rotation.