Amorim's Decision: Extra Rest for Maignan and Rabiot

Ruben Amorim did not wait for the storm to pass. He walked straight into it.

Questions had started to swirl after Milan’s 4-2 dismantling of Manchester United in Poland, a statement win that came without two of the club’s biggest names. Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot were nowhere to be seen in the final stretch of pre-season, and the timing – a week before the Serie A opener against Torino – set off the usual alarms about fitness, commitment and readiness.

Amorim shut that down quickly.

“Rabiot and Maignan had more days off because they played more. That was important to me,” he said after the victory over his former employers. He reminded everyone of the relentless calendar, the constant complaints about overload, then pointed to his own solution. “Everyone complains about the number of games and the players being unable to cope with the strain, and I gave the players those extra days because I already knew they wouldn’t be able to play today’s match. So I gave them three more days. Nothing will change. And I need to say that it was my decision, not the players.”

No hint of doubt. No room for interpretation.

Maignan and Rabiot back under the microscope at Milanello

The two French internationals reported back to Milanello on Sunday morning, just as the rest of the squad eased into recovery mode after the trip back from Poland. While their teammates focused on regeneration, Maignan and Rabiot went straight into the first phase of their reintegration: fitness tests, physiological checks, a detailed look at what work they had done alone during their extended break.

They are not being dropped in cold. Their program is tailored, designed to close the gap in match sharpness without inviting early-season muscle problems. For Amorim, that balance is non-negotiable with Torino looming next weekend.

Reports from Milanello indicate the pair will rest on Monday before stepping into full-contact training with the group on Tuesday. That session carries symbolic weight. It will be the first time this summer Amorim has his entire first-team squad together on the pitch, a moment he views as crucial for building the tactical cohesion he wants to carry into the autumn.

Managing August with February in mind

Amorim’s logic stretches far beyond the opening whistle of the league campaign. Those extra three days off, he argued, are an investment in the heart of the season, not a luxury in its first month.

By easing the load now, he believes he is protecting key legs for when the calendar tightens and the margins shrink – February, March, the decisive stretch. He stressed that Maignan and Rabiot were not angling for time off, nor dragging their feet about returning.

They wanted to train. He stopped them.

“They want to train. Tomorrow they’ll be at Milanello preparing for the first match,” Amorim said, pushing back at any suggestion of laxity. “They had a full schedule and followed the schedule, because we have proof that they did. So I want to make this really clear, because I think it’s important. We’ll evaluate Rabiot. Rabiot is a really important player for us. But, as we showed today, we have to be confident. We need to rest the players who need rest because it will be a very demanding season.”

The performance against United, free-flowing and ruthless, gave him the perfect platform to make that point. Milan scored four, rotated heavily and still looked in control. The message was obvious: the team comes first, and the squad must be trusted.

Maignan to start, Rabiot to be assessed

On Maignan, Amorim left little room for suspense. The goalkeeper is expected to start against Torino.

“It’s a different position. He’s been training all the time,” the coach explained. Maignan’s track record with Milan backs that up – when he is available, he plays, and he plays often. “If you look at the number of games he’s played in recent seasons with Milan, he plays every game. He’ll be ready for the first match because it’s a different position.”

Rabiot’s situation is more nuanced. His importance is clear, his status undisputed, but Amorim will not rush him. The midfielder will be evaluated during the week, his minutes managed with the long road ahead in mind.

Milan’s 4-2 win over United has set a tone: aggressive, confident, unapologetically ambitious. Now comes the real test – carrying that same edge into Serie A while keeping their biggest names fresh enough to still be decisive when the season’s pressure peaks.