A growing injury list has left AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim facing a difficult week leading up to the weekend's derby against Inter Milan.
The Rossoneri's 2-0 win at Udinese maintained fourth place in Serie A but the Milan boss could do without a midweek fixture at home to mid-table Bologna when all eyes are fixed on Saturday's clash with their city rivals.
Amorim has up to eight players missing, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek the latest to be added to the list after sustaining a thigh injury at the weekend which will reportedly sideline him for a month.
The Portuguese opted not to host a pre-match news conference ahead of the Bologna game, preferring instead to concentrate on preparations for this week with a reduced squad which will be without the likes of Adrien Rabiot, Mario Gila and Diego Moreira.
And despite their humbling by AFC Bournemouth in the UEFA Europa League last week, Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has given his full backing to Amorim.
"The team continues to improve and has shown great resilience after the disappointing match in Europe," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"Ruben has managed rotations and substitutions well. All of this puts us in a good condition ahead of Wednesday's home game."
Milan great Alessandro Costacurta is also encouraged by what Amorim is doing.
"I see players who follow their coach in a truly unique way. I like their attitude on the pitch," he said.
"I don't see a Scudetto-winning team yet, but it's really very early days and this remains a promising team."