CM: Ibrahimovic ‘personally monitoring’ Camarda – meeting planned as concerns arise

AC Milan are expected to hold a meeting in which they will discuss how Francesco Camarda’s loan spell at Lecce is going.

In the summer, Milan carefully evaluated the future of Camarda, debating whether to keep him in the first team, allocate him a starting role with Milan Futuro despite their relegation, or loan him out. They chose the last option, and he went to Lecce with an option to buy plus a buy-back.

Camarda at Lecce: The story so far

As Calciomercato.com recall, Camarda’s first half of the season at Lecce was an up-and-down affair, as you might expect for a youngster in his first real season in Serie A. He began the season as a starter, playing 83 minutes in the first match against Genoa.

He remained the starting lineup in round two against Milan, but was forced off the pitch due to a muscle injury. From then on, Eusebio Di Francesco almost always used him from the bench. Then, on October 28, he came on in the 65th minute against Bologna and scored his first Serie A goal.

That spark wasn’t enough to convince the Giallorossi coach, who waited exactly a month before reintroducing him to the starting XI against Napoli. Camarda took the responsibility of stepping up to the spot to convert a penalty but was thwarted by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

That incident brought tears to the eyes of the teenager on the bench when he was replaced, and it effectively reshuffled the pecking order, with Di Francesco consistently choosing Stulic over him in the next five matches, despite the fact he is yet to score a league goal.

The three goals Camarda scored for Italy U21s hasn’t changed things at club level, and the season risks being somewhat wasted. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ‘personally monitoring’ his progress, and the scouting team are too.

At the moment, the focus is on Francesco’s growth, his technical improvements and the responses he’s providing when difficulties arise, such as the missed penalty against Napoli. Clearly, his lack of use in recent weeks hasn’t been particularly welcomed by the club, who wanted more minutes.

They are convinced that competition can be beneficial for his development, but they think he should be playing more. Without wishing to interfere with Lecce’s decisions, a meeting is expected soon to assess the situation. Milan hope for more chances and confidence for Camarda.