Tension in Milan as Maignan and Rabiot Delay Return

With the new Serie A season less than two weeks away, Milan’s preparations under Ruben Amorim are already under strain – and not because of tactics or transfers, but timing.

Two of the club’s most important players, Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, have chosen to extend their holidays, pushing their return to training back to just one week before the opener against Torino. For a new coach trying to stamp his identity on a squad in flux, it is an unwelcome complication.

Amorim’s New Era Starts on Uneven Ground

Amorim arrives in Milan with the task of reshaping a side that still doesn’t know what it will look like by the end of the window. Several first-team players need to be moved on before any serious reinforcements can arrive. Rafael Leao’s future, as ever, hangs in the balance.

Into that uncertainty comes another problem. Maignan, the captain, and Rabiot, one of the most seasoned figures in midfield, have not yet reported back after their involvement deep into the 2026 World Cup.

Initially scheduled to return on August 14, the French pair have now opted to extend their break until August 16 – exactly seven days before Milan walk out for their first league match of the 2026-27 campaign.

For a squad trying to absorb a new coach’s demands, those two days feel longer than the calendar suggests.

Fans Look Across the City – and Don’t Like the Comparison

The decision has not gone down well with a section of the Rossoneri support. The frustration sharpened once comparisons started being drawn with the other side of the city.

Inter duo Lautaro Martinez and John Stones, who also went the distance at the World Cup, are already back in full training under Cristian Chivu. Their early return has become a stick with which some Milan fans are beating their own stars, questioning commitment and priorities as the season looms.

The optics matter. So does the timing. And in this case, neither flatters Milan.

Rabiot Clear on His Future, Maignan Anything But

Rabiot’s stance, at least publicly, has been straightforward. During the World Cup he made it clear he would return to Milan, sit down with Amorim and “go again” in 2026-27. His delayed arrival is irritating for the coaching staff, but it does not come wrapped in wider doubt about his future.

Maignan is a different story.

The goalkeeper has sent a series of signals that all is not well with his life at San Siro. He has recently stripped his social media accounts of Milan-related photos and references, a modern but unmistakable gesture that rarely arrives without meaning.

For a player who wears the armband, the message is hard to ignore.

Captain Under Scrutiny

Then came another moment that jarred. When Milan legend Franco Baresi was laid to rest last week, Maignan was not among those present.

In isolation, an absence can be explained away. Taken alongside his social media purge and the delayed return from holiday, it has only added to the sense that the captain’s bond with the club is fraying at the edges.

Inside Milan circles, eyebrows have been raised. Outside, among supporters, patience is thinning.

A Season Starting on a Knife-Edge

Amorim’s first weeks in charge were always going to be delicate. He must reshape a squad, navigate a tricky market, and find a way to keep his best players on board while results start to count immediately.

Now he must do it with his captain and key midfielder walking back through the door just days before Torino arrive.

The question hanging over Milan is no longer just who will start the season. It’s who truly wants to be part of it.