It is that time of year where decisions need to be made about the future of players who spent last season out on loan.
Italian giants AC Milan have a number of players too who appear to be viewed as little more than a drain on the Rossoneri’s resources.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the legendary former striker who now works as a senior advisor on behalf of Milan’s RedBird owners, opened up this week on the future of two players who spent the 2023/24 season on loan away from the San Siro.
Milan duo struggled at Fulham and Nottingham Forest
Fode Ballo-Toure had a year at Fulham. Divock Origi, meanwhile, enjoyed – or maybe endured is a more fitting description – nine months with Nottingham Forest.
And, speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, Ibrahimovic made it clear that – unless Ballo-Toure and Origi find themselves permanent moves – they will be forced to train with Milan’s reserves rather than with Paulo Fonseca’s first-team squad.
“Origi and Ballo-Toure will play for ‘Milan Futuro’,” Ibrahimovic explains. “Because they are not part of the first team project.”
The chances of Nottingham Forest triggering the £4 million purchase clause in Origi’s contract look slim in the extreme, per Sempre Milan. The former Liverpool, Wolfsburg and Lille frontman scored only once in 22 appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Left-back Ballo-Toure, meanwhile, played only 67 minutes of Premier League football. With Antonee Robinson firmly established as Marco Silva’s first-choice in the position, Ballo-Toure barely got a look in.
Fulham confirmed via their official website that Ballo-Toure would not be retained.
According to Gianluca di Marzio, a new opportunity could present itself with Watford in England’s second tier.
Origi, meanwhile, has not hit the heights since scoring that decisive second goal in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 Champions League final. His spell at Milan has been nothing short of a disaster.
Former Liverpool man facing uncertain future
Forest legend Garry Birtles was seriously unimpressed with the Belgian’s performance in Garibaldi Red, with one dismal display in a 2-2 draw with Wolves coming to mind.
“I was right in line with it on the edge of the penalty area and I just couldn’t believe what he did there, Birtles told the Forest Focus podcast after Origi wasted the chance to win the game as he overhit a simple pass for Chris Wood.
“It was just embarrassing. It wasn’t even difficult to do what he had to do. Again, he took one touch too many. Wood has got himself into a great area and the pace on the ball was just ridiculous, it beat everybody and it wasn’t even close.
“At that level, you’ve got to question Origi again. He just can’t perform for us for some reason.
“That’s a basic simple error, pass across the goal to win the game and he couldn’t do it.”
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