Saelemaekers spotted with large ice pack on adductor – the latest on his condition

Alexis Saelemaekers was the man who unlocked the game against Lecce last night, but he was forced off late in the game.

Saelemaekers started the game again for Milan against Lecce at San Siro, continuing his record of being the only player in the squad to start every single league game in the 2025-26 season. His performance was the usual: energetic and combative, with moments of real quality.

In fact, it was one of those moments that eventually broke the game open. Having just about got to a ball over the top from Matteo Gabbia, the Belgian hooked in an inch-perfect cross for the substitute Niclas Füllkrug to head home.

Saelemaekers forced off

Not too long after that, inside the final 10 minutes, Saelemaekers had to come off after a duel with an opponent. Rather worryingly, he grabbed the adductor area suggesting something muscular, and Zachary Athekame replaced him.

😂 They waited for Saelemaekers ❤️🖤

pic.twitter.com/TrFZX1rNHH

— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) January 18, 2026

As MilanNews report, he was filmed post-match with a large ice pack placed on his adductor. After the match, the wing-back clarified his physical condition to DAZN.

“I felt something in my adductor, I didn’t take any risks because it was the end of the match and I didn’t want to put the team in difficulty, I prefer that someone who is 100% come on and makes the difference,” he said.

It is anticipated that Saelemaekers will undergo some tests either today or tomorrow to understand the extend of the problem in his adductor.