Milan: Saelemaekers set to miss Sassuolo clash, Cisse and Moreira compete for his spot

The scan results came back on Tuesday 29 September, and given the circumstances it's the best possible outcome: Alexis Saelemaekers has an ankle sprain, with no bone damage and no harm to the capsule or ligaments. Milan, though, are in no hurry at all, and anyone with the Belgian on their roster should plan on not having him for the restart of the league.

Why the Sassuolo game is in doubt

Saelemaekers was left out of Belgium's Nations League squad and wanted to use the break at Milanello to nail down his place on the attacking midfield line once and for all, alongside Christian Pulisic. That plan has fallen through: his training load will need to be scaled back and, according to Calciomercato.com, the trip to Sassuolo is seriously in doubt. He will not play Friday's friendly against Padova either.

The caution has a clear reason behind it. After Sassuolo, October's calendar lines up Salzburg, Atalanta, Bournemouth, Udinese, Bologna and Inter, across Serie A and the Europa League. Risking a setback for the sake of a single match suits neither the club nor you.

The frustrating part is the timing: against Lecce, at San Siro, the Belgian had just put in one of his best performances of the season.

Cisse or Moreira: who takes his place

Two players are in the running for that slot. Cisse has been the surprise of the season so far, with two goals, including an important one away at Juventus. The left side of the attacking midfield line looks tailor-made for him, which gives him a head start. Moreira answers back with three goals of his own, a brace against Lazio and a goal against Lecce, plus an energy that Amorim rates highly.

The real answer will come from 6 October, when the internationals return to Milanello. Friday's friendly against Padova should still offer an early hint of how Amorim wants to reshape the line behind the striker.

Chukwueze, the sure thing on the right

Anyone after stability should look to the other flank. Samuel Chukwueze, back from a loan at Fulham with no buy option exercised, looked set to leave. Instead Amorim kept him from his very first press conference and reinvented him as a right-sided player in a four-man midfield, a role he had never played before. He has started every match except at the Juventus Stadium, where he came on for the final half hour and set up Cisse's decisive assist. Corriere dello Sport notes a few defensive lapses against the strongest sides, but his playing time is not in question.

A similar story applies to Pervis Estupiñán: at the start of the summer he was practically on his way to Aston Villa, before Amorim asked to assess him in preseason and the English club turned to Ruggeri instead. As Tuttosport notes, he is one of several Milan players who went from packed bags back onto the pitch.

What to do in your fantasy league

Anyone with Saelemaekers should not sell low: the injury is a minor one, and a crowded October will give him chances to make up for lost time. For the first matchday after the break, though, it is best to leave him out until Milan actually name him in the squad. If Cisse or Moreira are still available in your league, they are worth a look: with seven matches in a month Amorim will have to rotate, and whoever has played on Milan's attacking midfield line so far this season has found the net often enough.