UDINE, Italy :AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao praised the way Udinese fans applauded Mike Maignan when he had to be carried off on a stretcher following a collision with AC Milan teammate Alex Jimenez in the second half of their 4-0 win on Friday.
Milan were up 2-0 at Udinese in Serie A when Maignan left the box and clashed heads with Jimenez while trying to block the ball in the 51st minute.
Maignan was a victim of racial abuse the last time Milan travelled to Udinese in January 2024 and the French keeper briefly walked off the pitch after being subjected to racist chants by the local fans.
“It impressed me. The player on the ground, the chaos around him… I have to compliment the Udinese fans,” Conceicao told Sky Sport.
“The player is one thing, and the man is another. They can boo the player, but not the man. That applause was an incredible gesture, in 40 years of football I have seen few gestures like that. Now Mike is in hospital for tests.”
Milan players urgently gestured the team’s medical staff to attend to Maignan, who appeared to be unconscious for a brief moment.
The Rossoneri sit ninth on 51 points with six games left to play in a largely disappointing campaign.
“Today we were a team, but it’s only three points,” said Conceicao, whose side have won only three of their last eight games.
“Now we immediately think about Atalanta. In any case I saw a solid and a balanced team, as well as physically available. There was time to work on it, it was important to have 2-3 weeks to work.”
Milan host third-placed Atalanta next weekend before facing Inter Milan in second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final, which remains their best bet to secure European football next season.
Conceicao remained tight-lipped when asked if the team still believed they could secure European action.
“We’re thinking about working tomorrow, we shouldn’t talk too much,” he said. “In the end what matters are the results of each day (of training), the rest comes as a consequence in the game.”
