Gazzetta: Saelemaekers out for five months, Gabbia hopeful of early return

To add insult to injury: Alexis Saelemaekers , having been left out of Belgium’s latest squad, had stayed behind to train at Milanello. It was there, before the league season had even resumed, that he suffered an injury to his right ankle.

What initially appeared to be a simple “ankle sprain, with no damage to the bones or ligaments” subsequently turned out to be a more serious problem.

His right ankle was, in fact, the same one he had undergone surgery on two years earlier in Rome. Further examinations revealed the need to restore the stability it had lost.