Amid an injury crisis, Rade Krunic will have a meaningful role in the upcoming stretch of Milan matches. Rafael Leao just picked up a small thigh strain, and Ante Rebic and Olivier Giroud are on the shelf for the same reason. Pietro Pellegri got hurt after a handful of minutes versus Salernitana too, leaving the attack very short-handed.
Krunic served as a false nine in that game, with good returns. Considering the multiple absences, the versatility of the midfielder will come in handy for Stefano Pioli. He has been able to feature indifferently as a no.10, as a pivot, or on the flank while maintaining a steady level of performance. The 28-year-old is likely to start against Liverpool tonight. The Rossoneri have lost just twice with him in the lineup this season.
Milan signed Krunic from Empoli in 2019 for €8.6M. He has accumulated 69 appearances since then, notching 2 goals and 5 assists. He had never been as valuable as the first portion of the 2021-2022 campaign. The management is considering rewarding him with a new deal, Calciomercato.com reports. It is not an urgent matter, as he is under contract till 2024. The bigwigs will open talks with his agent to discuss the matter in the next few weeks.
The Bosnian international has often drawn interest from smaller clubs in recent windows. However, Milan and particularly coach Stefano Pioli, always preferred holding onto him for depth purposes. And that will continue to be the case in the future.