Potential Leao return date revealed after injury in Milan 2-0 Bari

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 11:41 AM ET

Rafael Leao is targeting a return to action immediately after the international break after picking up an injury in his first competitive outing of the 2025-26 campaign.

When is Leao expected to return for Milan after injury?

The Portugal international lined up as a starter for Massimiliano Allegri’s first game back in charge: An eventual 2-0 victory over Bari in the first round of the Coppa Italia in San Siro.

Leao was on the scoresheet in the first half, but was forced to withdraw just a few minutes later.

It was later confirmed that he had suffered a minor injury to his calf, which has since kept him out of action for the 2-1 loss against Cremonese in the opening round of Serie A fixtures, and the 2-0 victory over Lecce the following weekend.

Santiago Gimenez and Chrstian Pulisic lined up in a two-man attack in Leao’s absence against Cremonese. Gimenez was then supported by Alexis Saelemaekers and Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the 2-0 win over Lecce.

According to reports from various outlets on Wednesday, including Milannews.it, Leao is recovering well from his early set-back, and is pushing to return after the international break.

Wednesday’s updates confirm that he is hoping to be available to Allegri for Milan’s next Serie A match, which falls against Bologna on September 14.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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