ALEXIS SAELEMAEKERS: PLAYER FOCUS

He's come from Belgium with pace, versatility and the desire to surprise. Ladies and Gentlemen, Alexis Saelemaekers. Born in 1999, he turns 21 in June with his whole future ahead of him. The next chapter of this young Belgian's career is set to begin with the Rossoneri. Alexis Saelemaekers is the fourth Belgian to play for AC Milan. The first was Louis Van Hege over a century ago between 1910 and 1915, a player who scored 97 goals in 88 matches. After him, Eric Gerets made 13 appearances in the 1983/84 season. Most recent of all was Drazen Brncic, who is of Croatian heritage. He played a few times in the 2000/01 campaign. 

Arriving just before the deadline in the January window, Saelemaekers came through at the renowned Anderlecht academy and made his debut for the 34-time champions of Belgium on 16 February 2018. He went on to make 70 appearances in almost two years, scoring two goals (both of which came this season) and providing eleven assists in the process. In the 4-4-2 system adopted by Vercauteren, Saelemaekers has mostly featured as a right winger of late while making the most of his ability with his left foot despite being naturally right-footed. 

Standing at 180 cm and weighing 72 kg, the player born in 1999 was one of the most promising players in the Jupiler League, the top tier in Belgium. Despite often playing on the right flank recently, Saelemaekers has never forgotten his origins as a defender. He emerged as a right-back before moving further up the pitch and could be categorised as a player who can feature anywhere on the wing. This is due to his ability to play quickly and cover lots of ground, meaning his work is not limited to the attacking phase.

Speed and dribbling ability are the strong points of his game: he knows when to cross from the byline and when to cut inside and look to shoot. Last season, he also became part of the Belgium Under-21 side coached by former Udinese player Johan Walem, who regularly picked him in a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

The official PUMA match kits for the 2019/20 season are available in the AC Milan Online Store