Milan, Maignan and Rabiot are back! They are at Milanello, Amorim has put an end to the controversy
The two Frenchmen, who have long been at the centre of the controversy, have returned to Milan.
The extra days of leave are officially over and, right on cue, Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot reported to Milanello to begin the new 2026/2027 season in the Milan shirt.
After the friendly against Manchester United, Ruben Amorim tried to calm the row over the pair's delayed return. Now it's up to them to answer on the pitch and win back the fans disappointed by their attitude.
On the pitch at 11am
AC Milan are back from their winning pre-season friendly in Poland and won't have long to wait before returning to the pitch. Ruben Amorim still has plenty of work to do to get the team fully tuned in to his technical and tactical ideas. The session starts at 11am, with a recovery workout likely for those who played yesterday, while Maignan and Rabiot are unlikely to take part as they undergo physical and fitness tests to assess the clinical picture and decide where to begin. Their presence has, however, been confirmed, with the extra holidays at the centre of the controversy now officially over.
The controversy over the holidays
In recent days, the two France internationals' decision to ask the club for a few extra days of holiday has sparked plenty of debate. Their return was initially set for 12 August, but the club agreed to push it back by a few days until today.
That has angered the fans, not just because it came with questionable activity on social media, Maignan, for example, removed every reference to AC Milan from Instagram, but also because, as captain and not involved in the tour, he did not even turn up in Milan for Franco Baresi's funeral.
Amorim ends the controversy
Ruben Amorim, the coach and the all-powerful figure at Milanello, tried to calm the waters yesterday. The Portuguese manager said: "Rabiot, Modric and Maignan had more days because they played more. For me that was important. I gave those extra days to the players because I already knew they would not have been able to play in today’s match. So I gave them another three days. Nothing will change. And for me it is really important to say that it was my decision, not the players’. They had a full programme and they followed the programme, because we have proof that they did it." Will that be enough to repair the rift with the fans?
