AC Milan have confirmed that Alexis Saelemaekers may need another operation on his right ankle after tests showed the joint has lost stability at the site of his 2024 surgery. A specialist assessment is now under way to decide the most appropriate treatment, and the club say another operation is possible.
The ankle problem and the 2024 surgery
Milan said the right ankle has “lost stability at the site of the previous surgery.” That surgery came in 2024 after a medial malleolus fracture, so this is a return to the same problem area rather than a fresh knock in a different spot.
The latest club line also leaves open two paths. The specialist assessment will decide the treatment, but the wording stops short of saying the operation will definitely happen. That is the key detail here, because Milan are waiting on a medical call rather than planning around a confirmed procedure.
Saelemaekers' early-season minutes
The setback also interrupts a decent run of minutes for Saelemaekers. He had already played four of Milan's five league matches this season, starting against Juventus and Lecce, and he had one league assist on the board.
Sky Sport Italia reported that the sprain trauma to the right ankle on 29 September during training at Milanello was turning out to be more serious than expected. However the club's own update focuses on the loss of stability at the previous surgery site, and both descriptions point to the same basic problem for Milan: a player who was getting back into rhythm is now back in treatment.
Milan do at least have some early cushion in the league, with 11 points from their first five Serie A matches. Even so, losing a wide player who had already been used in four games, and started twice, is not ideal when the squad is trying to keep its rhythm intact.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
