Charles De Ketelaere admitted his fault and explained why his Serie A debut season in Milan didn’t work out as expected.
Speaking in an interview with Alessandra Gozzini of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Charles Ketelaere clarified the reason behind Milan’s decision to send him on loan to Atalanta this summer. He said: “When you arrive in a new place there’s a lot to do. Adapt to the country, the game system, the language. But of course, if at Milan didn’t work out, it was also partly my fault: it wasn’t the season I expected, but I don’t regret it. I haven’t always reached a high level, and entering the game in progress as often happened to me, didn’t help.”
While he took the responsibility upon himself for his below-par performances, the Belgian said that the criticisms from the fans and the media also played a role in hindering him from reaching his potential. He remarked: “I’m not the explosive type, I feel better when I’m on the pitch for a longer period of time and I can really get into the flow of a match. The criticisms did the rest: I don’t always read the newspapers, I try to isolate myself. But still you feel them and you don’t remain indifferent. Never scoring has been a problem: people ask for goals and assists, they don’t just look at performance.”
De Ketelaere’s 14 goals and nine assists across 39 matches in the Belgian Pro League during the 2021-22 season with Club Brugge tempted the Rossoneri to invest in him. However, things didn’t turn out according to plan as the 22-year-old failed to find a starting place in the team and couldn’t even net a goal across last season.
But the Belgian has started to prove his worth at La Dea under Gian Piero Gasperini, scoring on his debut and racking up an assist recently.
Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
