El Shaarawy sidelined with fractured foot

Desperate times for El Shaarawy

Stephan El Shaarawy has made four appearances for AC Milan this season and has scored one goal, but recent times have seen him struggling with a thigh injury. He last played in September in a 3-1 win over Cagliari.

He was supposed to make his return in the UEFA Champions League game against Ajax on Tuesday night, but a hairline fracture in his left foot will see him being sidelined yet again.

AC Milan have not revealed for how long they expect the 20-year-old to be out, but there is some good news for manager Massimiliano Allegri, with midfielder Riccardo Montolivo poised to make his comeback.

Montolivo, who hasn’t played since the 2-2 draw with Torino in September because of a thigh problem, was named in the squad traveling to Netherlands.

Milan secured an opening 2-0 Champions League victory over Celtic and Allegri is confident that the team is in a strong position to qualify from the group stage with a win.