Camarda in for injured Morata against Cagliari, says Milan boss Fonseca

Teenage forward Francesco Camarda will start his first game for AC Milan in place of the injured Alvaro Morata against Cagliari in Serie A this weekend, manager Paulo Fonseca said on Friday.

Morata suffered a head injury in training on Thursday and the Spanish striker was taken to hospital where an MRI was carried out, and while no damage was found, he will take no part in Saturday's away game.

"It was a strange situation, in an exercise yesterday he collided with (Strahinja) Pavlovic," Fonseca told reporters.

"Initially, I didn't think it was such a problem as it turned out to be, but he is not ready to play tomorrow. He's fine, but he's not ready."

Morata has, however, been selected in Spain's Nations League squad, with their manager Luis de la Fuente saying the player is fit, something which surprised Fonseca.

Coach Fonseca previews #CagliariMilan 🎙️

🆚 The opponent
👏 Musah's performances
🔜 Camarda #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/5Ns3fLQnk7

— AC Milan (@acmilan) November 8, 2024

"I don't know why he said that. There is a protocol that says that a player must stop 10 days," Fonseca said.

"I don't know how he can say that he plays. That is, it is not an option, it is a mandatory thing. I don't know how De la Fuente can do this."

With Morata unavailable, and Luka Jovic struggling for fitness, it was expected that Tammy Abraham would lead the line at Cagliari after recovering from a shoulder injury, but Fonseca revealed he had chosen the 16-year-old Camarda.

"Morata at the moment has a very specific role. Morata is not always a striker, but many times he is a player who unlocks the passing lines," Fonseca said.

"I think Camarda right now is more ready than Abraham to play this role."

Last season, Camarda became the youngest-ever player to appear in Serie A, coming on as a late substitute against Fiorentina in November at 15 years, eight months and 16 days old.

Last month, Camarda came on to replace Morata during Milan's 3-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge, where he thought he had scored his first goal for the club but it was ruled offside, and now the youngster will get his first chance from the start.

"For me, it's not surprising. He works with us every day. I think everyone at the club believes in him a lot, he works well and understands the role well," Fonseca said.

"For me, players have no age, they have quality. And he shows every day that he has quality."