Milan head into the Serie A restart carrying real injury concerns, and the situation has worsened significantly over the international break. Alexis Saelemaekers, who had been growing into a key role under Ruben Amorim, suffered an ankle injury in training that initially appeared minor. New scans have revealed the damage is far more serious, ruling him out for several months. The loss of a player Amorim viewed as a versatile attacking option is a genuine blow to the squad's depth.

Compounding the problem, left-back Pervis Estupiñán picked up an injury on international duty with Ecuador, adding further uncertainty to the backline ahead of Sunday's away fixture at Sassuolo. With Estupiñán sidelined, Davide Bartesaghi is well placed to reclaim a starting role after spending much of this season as deputy to the Ecuadorian.

Despite the setbacks, there are reasons for confidence at Milanello. The 3-0 win over Lecce before the break lifted the mood around the club, and Amorim used the downtime to experiment tactically, with reports suggesting he may deploy a 4-2-3-1 against Sassuolo, a significant departure from the back-three system he has used throughout his career. Gonçalo Ramos also scored for Portugal during the break, a timely boost for a striker yet to fully find his feet in Serie A. Milan sit fifth in the table with 11 points from five games, one point behind fourth-placed Cagliari.