Milan may have secured all three points against the weaker team Cesena, but this match indeed came at a heavy cost for the Rossoneri. In the first half, their defensive cornerstone Nesta was forced off the field due to injury. Just 20 minutes into the game, Milan suffered another unexpected blow as Cesena forward Budan made a quick break. Nesta attempted a sliding tackle in the midfield, but the result was extremely disappointing. The Milan stalwart received a yellow card and also dislocated his left shoulder during the fall, subsequently being substituted out by Allegri. In 2007, when Nesta sustained an injury to the same area, he rested for three months. Therefore, post-match Italian media speculated that Nesta's recovery period would not be less than three months this time. However, the latest good news is that after precise MRI testing, Milan's medical team determined that Nesta would only need to be sidelined for 3-4 weeks, and they also formulated a perfect rehabilitation plan for the Milan star. It is worth noting that because this part of Nesta’s body has been injured multiple times, it is highly likely that the Milan defender will undergo surgery at the end of the season to fully repair this recurring injury.
Similar to Seedorf, another Milan midfielder Gattuso also suffered from a right leg tendon injury, albeit more severe. Before the match against Cesena, Gattuso unexpectedly got injured during warm-ups and withdrew from the lineup. Along with Milan's playmaker Pirlo and the recently impressive young player Strasser, both of whom were in the recovery phase, Allegri had no choice but to move Thiago Silva to the holding midfield position. Post-match, the club's medical team immediately examined Gattuso's condition and ultimately confirmed a grade one injury to his right leg tendon, estimating a downtime of no less than three weeks.
At around 1:00 AM Beijing Time on January 25th, according to news from AC Milan's official website, the club disclosed the latest injury updates of three key players. Both Seedorf and Gattuso suffered right leg tendon injuries, with estimated recovery times of about three weeks. Additionally, Nesta's left shoulder injury was relatively more serious; Milan's defensive pillar would be out for four weeks and might undergo surgery on the injured shoulder at the end of the season.
In the 2-0 victory over Cesena, Seedorf was not included in the squad list. Due to the noticeable decline in the Dutchman's recent form, his poor performance in the previous match against Udinese was still fresh in everyone's memory. At that time, Seedorf was directly dispossessed by Inler in midfield, who quickly initiated a counterattack, eventually leading to Di Natale scoring, changing the score to the almost hopeless 1-3 for Milan. Fortunately, the Rossoneri miraculously drew 4-4 with the opponent, but Seedorf, who seemed like a sleepwalker, still faced much criticism. Consequently, Italian media immediately proposed the theory of "Allegri deliberately freezing the Dutchman." However, Milan's official information debunked this claim. The club's medical director Melegatti stated that Seedorf indeed missed the game due to a right leg tendon injury, and the veteran Dutch player would require 2-3 weeks for recovery.