Yakin explains what Athekame needs to do with Switzerland senior team: “Need to learn”

AC Milan defender Zachary Athekame was called up to the Switzerland national team this week for the first time as a senior.

When Athekame arrived in the summer, many were left confused with the idea, considering he is not really a proven option. Additionally, he was not really a known quantity as a right back or even as a wing-back.

However, Milan agreed to a deal with a high-potential player, who has impressed wherever he has gone, for an alright fee. After all, spending €10 million on someone who can quickly double that value is not bad business at all.

Athekame debut?

Now, he could be in line to start this weekend, with Alexis Saelemaekers missing the game through injury. He is ‘ready’ for his debut, and Massimiliano Allegri could grant it. However, it may not be his first debut of the week.

Murat Yakin called him up for the senior national team this weekend, and he could start tonight. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Yakin stated that it would ‘depend’ on a few things if he started this game, as MilanNews relays.

“I have a defensive option with Jacquez and an offensive option with Athekame. Which of the two I use will depend on how the match develops. They still need to learn our playing principles. We can’t train much at the moment: now it’s mainly a matter of getting them to settle into our group.”