‘One hundred and fourteen minutes’.
This is how Gazzetta dello Sport open their big article about Milan’s Divock Origi, showcasing just how little the Belgian has played since arriving on a free from Liverpool.
The idea of the move was for the forward to play far more than he did under Jürgen Klopp at Anfield, where he was super-sub, at best, for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, when the Senegalese was still working for the Reds.
Unfortunately for Origi, his start to the season has been blighted with injuries, ranging from inflammations to muscle fatigue, and he has yet to start a game.
Not only that, but his only contribution remains picking up a yellow card in the first Champions League game of the campaign against RB Salzburg, unable to find the back of the net or assist anyone in his limited game time.
This is starting to worry the Italian media, with Gazzetta looking in depth at the 27-year-old’s situation in Milan.
One of the reason he was chosen was due to the ‘experience’ he had garnered at Liverpool, hoping that he could be a ‘guide for the youngest players’.
Milan haven’t done that badly without him, currently fifth in Serie A (just three points behind leaders Napoli) and third in their Champions League group, but Olivier Giroud isn’t getting any younger, and will need to be rested eventually.
For now, Stefano Pioli is ‘waiting’ for the former Liverpool forward, and with eight more games before the league breaks for the World Cup, Origi has time to have an impact before the end of 2022.
However, there’s no denying this isn’t going as planned so far, and while it’s still early days, there will be even more questions raised if this continues.
During his time at Liverpool, the forward made 175 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, scoring 41 goals and assisting another 18.
