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HUGE blow for Ruben Amorim as Milan star Ruben Loftus-Cheek suffers muscle tear ahead of Inter derby

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Milan suffer major Loftus-Cheek injury blow

Loftus-Cheek has been sidelined for a minimum of two weeks after medical tests confirmed a muscle tear in his left thigh, as per MilanNews. The Englishman suffered damage to a medial hamstring muscle and faces further assessment in a fortnight.

He picked up the injury during Sunday's 2-0 victory over Udinese in Serie A. After being introduced as a second-half substitute, Loftus-Cheek was forced off at the beginning of stoppage time. The midfielder felt a sharp pull in the back of his thigh while sprinting. The subsequent scans have now confirmed Milan's worst fears regarding his short-term availability.

Missing the crucial Inter derby

The timing of the injury is a massive setback for Milan ahead of a vital stretch of fixtures. Loftus-Cheek is now guaranteed to miss Wednesday’s home league game against Bologna. More significantly, he will play no part in Saturday's massive derby clash against cross-city rivals Inter.

Furthermore, his European campaign is temporarily halted. He will sit out the upcoming Europa League encounter against Hungarian side Ferencvaros as he begins his rehabilitation process.

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Amorim faces growing selection crisis

The loss of Loftus-Cheek compounds an increasingly severe injury crisis for manager Amorim. The Milan boss now has eight first-team players unavailable for selection ahead of a critical run of games.

Serie A Matches

Adrien Rabiot, Mario Gila, and Diego Moreira are all in a race against time to be fit for the upcoming derby after missing the trip to Udinese. Their potential return would provide a much-needed boost to the depleted squad. Meanwhile, Amorim remains without several key figures for the foreseeable future. Samuel Chukwueze, Matteo Gabbia, and Alexis Saelemaekers are all currently sidelined with long-term issues.

Maintaining an unbeaten league run

Despite the mounting absences in the treatment room, Milan have maintained excellent domestic form this season. They head into the upcoming derby against Inter boasting 18 points and remaining entirely unbeaten in Serie A. However, before that duel, Rossoneri will look to extend their unbeaten record in Serie A when they host Bologna on Wednesday.

Starting his career as an intern at GOAL Indonesia in early 2021, Yosua was promoted to journalist that same year and has consistently written, focusing primarily on English and European football.

Covering the 2023 U-17 World Cup in Indonesia was one of his most memorable experiences. At the tournament, Yosua had the opportunity to meet and interview young talents who are now starting to shine at the elite level: Marc Guiu, Franco Mastantuono, and Claudio Echeverri.