Amorim Addresses Criticism Over Maignan and Rabiot's Absence
Rúben Amorim did not wait for the storm to grow. Questions over why Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot were missing from Milan’s eye-catching 4-2 win over Manchester United were already swirling, so the coach cut straight through them.
The Rossoneri had just dismantled his former club in Poland, a statement victory in the final stretch of pre-season. Yet the focus quickly shifted to the two French stars watching from afar. Were they behind schedule? Was there a problem?
Amorim shut that down immediately.
“Rabiot and Maignan had more days off because they played more. That was important to me,” he explained after the game. “Everyone complains about the number of games and the players being unable to cope with the strain, and I gave the players those extra days because I already knew they wouldn’t be able to play today’s match. So I gave them three more days. Nothing will change. And I need to say that it was my decision, not the players.”
The message was clear: this was load management, not leniency.
Extra days off, extra scrutiny
Maignan and Rabiot reported back to Milanello on Sunday morning, their holidays officially over. While the rest of the squad eased into a recovery day after the trip back from Poland, the two late returnees went straight into testing.
General fitness checks. Physiological evaluations. The club wanted a precise picture of what work had been done during their time away and how far they were from full match rhythm.
Their program is tailored, not symbolic. Amorim knows Torino are waiting next weekend, and he wants his key men sharp without being overworked in mid-August. For him, those three extra days are an investment in February and March, not a luxury in summer.
He has been blunt about that internal calculation. Protect them now, keep them available when the season bites hardest.
According to reports from Milanello, Maignan and Rabiot will be given Monday off before stepping into full-contact training with the rest of the group on Tuesday. It will be the first time this summer Amorim has his entire first-team squad together on the pitch, a small but significant landmark in his preparation.
“We have proof they followed the schedule”
The coach also pushed back against any hint that Maignan and Rabiot had dictated their own timelines.
“They want to train. Tomorrow they’ll be at Milanello preparing for the first match,” Amorim said. “They had a full schedule and followed the schedule, because we have proof that they did. So I want to make this really clear, because I think it’s important. We’ll evaluate Rabiot. Rabiot is a really important player for us. But, as we showed today, we have to be confident. We need to rest the players who need rest because it will be a very demanding season.”
The win over United gave him the perfect platform for that message. Four goals, authority in possession, and a strong collective performance without two of the dressing room’s biggest names. It underlined his point: Milan cannot be hostage to any single player’s availability, no matter how influential.
At the same time, there is no attempt to downplay Rabiot’s status. The staff will assess him carefully this week, judging whether he can start against Torino or whether his minutes must be managed from the bench.
Maignan to start: “It’s a different position”
On Maignan, Amorim left far less room for debate. The goalkeeper is expected to go straight back between the posts for the league opener.
“It’s a different position. He’s been training all the time,” the coach explained. “If you look at the number of games he’s played in recent seasons with Milan, he plays every game. He’ll be ready for the first match because it’s a different position.”
That trust in Maignan’s continuity and conditioning allows Milan to carry the momentum of the United win into competitive action with stability at the back. The real question lies in front of him: how quickly can Rabiot be reintegrated, and how much is Amorim willing to risk in the first week of a season he keeps insisting will be “very demanding”?
The answer will start to emerge on Tuesday, when for the first time this summer, Amorim finally has his full arsenal on the training pitch and a clear week to shape Milan for Torino.
