If Tiemoue Bakayoko had hopes of making his AC Milan switch permanent or having a future at Chelsea, it would appear as though he’s struggling.
The 24-year-old made his eighth appearance of the season since joining the Rossoneri in a season-long loan move from Chelsea in their 2-1 defeat at home to Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday.
However, he lasted just 45 minutes as coach Gennaro Gattuso opted to replace him at half-time, with the Frenchman struggling to produce anything positive as he looked completely devoid of confidence and belief in his own ability.
From sloppiness and clumsy play in possession to being unable to win the midfield battle and ultimately being given the run around by the visitors, it was a disastrous first half for Bakayoko and Milan in general.
As seen in the tweets below though, the reaction to Bakayoko’s performance hasn’t been kind in particular, as many Milan fans called for him to be left out of the starting line-up for the foreseeable future.
Further, La Gazzetta dello Sport gave him the worst rating of the game with a 4.5/10, noting that he was a level below both tactically and physically as he was roundly criticised by the media and supporters alike.
It raises serious questions now as to where he goes next. Unless he can miraculously turn things around at Milan in the coming months, it’s highly unlikely they will exercise their option to make his move permanent.
Meanwhile, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek shining on the same night for Chelsea, it’s difficult to see how Bakayoko fits into Maurizio Sarri’s plans moving forward. The future unfortunately looks very bleak for the former Monaco star.
Bakayoko makes actual money from playing football.
— Meytar Zeevi (@RossoneriBlog) October 25, 2018
La Gazzetta dello Sport ratings for Milan 1-2 Real Betis: Overall rating of 5/10, Bakayoko the worst on the pitch with 4.5/10. pic.twitter.com/5Vig9mG4y0 — Meytar Zeevi (@RossoneriBlog) October 26, 2018
Lol.. This is what you get when you start Borini, Bakayoko
— Chuks Alexandre ?? (@Chuksalexandre) October 25, 2018
Don’t care about how the game end. Anyone who puts bakayoko – borini on the field is braindead. #GattusoOut #MilanBetis — Djamel Mesbah (@GreatWallMesbah) October 25, 2018
How the fuck is Bakayoko a professional footballer
— AC Milan West (@mark_mrl_milan) October 25, 2018
We’re clearly playing with 9 players. Borini and Bakayoko don’t count #MilanBetis — Forza Milan (@AllaboutMilan99) October 25, 2018
You can’t start bakayoko and Borini and expect to keep your job. Let alone win. What a joke from gattuso #acmilan
— Galliani’s Bike (@rossoneromisery) October 25, 2018
Get Borini and Bakayoko out before it’s too late. — “Luze” Luzeri (@luzeriP) October 25, 2018
For listeners of #MilanWeeklyPOD you are all aware about my feeling about #Bakayoko I am all for giving players a chance to prove themselves but I have see nothing! End this loan and send him back!
— MilanWeeklyPOD™ (@MilanWeeklyPOD) October 26, 2018