Emerson Royal returned to full training on Friday after over three months out, and he hopes to change what seems like a sealed fate.
As MilanNews write, Emerson had been out since the Champions League match on January 22 at San Siro against Girona, when he was forced to leave the pitch in dismay after just a few minutes from the kick-off due to a muscle tear. That was 100 days ago, and now the healing process is complete.
The present and future
The full-back, who arrived last summer from Tottenham for around €15m plus bonuses after months of negotiations and courtship, was ready to leave during the winter window.
Negotiations were advanced with Galatasaray before the injury changed everything, a situation that makes it clear how the first six months in Italy went for the former Barcelona player, who struggled to find form.
Everything suggests that he is not considered part of the project. In fact, with the arrival of Kyle Walker, he even ended up outside the 25-man Serie A squad list, only to then be reinstated thanks to the exits of Ismael Bennacer and Noah Okafor on deadline day.
A lot has happened in the meantime: the Rossoneri exited the Champions League, fell to ninth place in the league but reached the final of the Coppa Italia, also thanks to the new formation that Conceiçao found for the team, the 3-4-3.
The Portuguese coach seems to have found the men to focus on, with Alex Jimenez looking good in the right wing-back role. The Spaniard has shown his work rate, application and even his creativity with an assist against Inter for Luka Jovic’s goal.
How does Emerson fit into all this? At Tottenham, last season and with this system, he played as a central defender (both right and left), while his use as a wing-back seems unlikely. Now the pitch will speak again and Conceiçao may be able to find him a place, but it seems difficult.
Emerson Royal’s will
What does the player himself think about all this? His father, Emerson Zulu, spoke for him during an interview with MilanNews and he revealed that the difficulties were expected.
“Every transition has its challenges: a new country, new people, a different culture. Despite the similarities between Brazil and Italy, since ours is a country with more than 30 million Italian descendants, adapting takes time,” he said.
While the negotiation that in January seemed close to coming to fruition, he glossed over it: “For us there has never been a concrete negotiation. We didn’t believe it would happen and we knew little about it. It was a rumour that appeared and disappeared quickly.”
So what are the Brazilian’s objectives? “The objective is clear: to do what is expected of Royal, to contribute, to give his best and to help the team win titles. Patience, resilience and heart are fundamental.
“Pressure is part of the game, and we are often our own harshest critics. But the support of the fans is essential. For Royal, wearing the shirt means commitment and passion. It’s in his DNA and he loves Milan.”
Royal will have very few games to change the management’s minds since in the summer all the offers that arrive for him will be carefully evaluated.
