Conceicao thanks Udinese fans for Maignan ‘gesture’: ‘Rarely seen anything like it’ – Football Italia – April 11 latest

BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 27: Sergio Conceicao head coach of AC Milan during the Serie A match between Bologna and AC Milan at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on February 27, 2025 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Sergio Conceicao thanked the Udinese supporters for an ‘incredible gesture’ they made towards Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan after he was knocked out during the Rossoneri’s 4-0 win at the Bluenergy Stadium in Serie A on Friday night. ‘In 40 years, I’ve rarely seen anything like it’. 

Maignan was briefly knocked out on the pitch of the Stadio Friuli after a nasty collision of heads with teammate Alex Jimenez, who also had to be substituted off later down the line. 

Maignan came rushing out of his area and attempted to head clear an Udinese ball in-behind. He smashed into Jimenez, but came off worse, and was briefly knocked unconscious on the turf. 

Play was immediately halted, and the stretchers called for. Reports confirm that the France international was conscious and talking before leaving the stadium. He has since been taken to hospital for further checks. 

Conceicao thanks Udinese fans for ‘incredible’ Maignan gesture

Maignan hasn’t had the easiest of times against Udinese over the last year. In the same fixture last season, he walked off the pitch after being subjected to racist abuse from the stands, which led to four Udinese supporters being banned for life. 

The boos continued when Udinese visited San Siro earlier in the 2024-25 campaign, and there were derogatory banners erected, aimed at Maignan, in the week building up to Friday night’s game as well.

The whistles and jeering continued during Friday night’s game, particularly at the start of the second half, when Maignan was defending the goal directly in front of the club’s most vocal supporters. 

However, when Maignan was in a troubling position on the pitch, having been rolled onto his side and put in the recovery position in one particularly worrying moment, the Udinese fans put everything to one side and applauded as the Frenchman received treatment, which continued until he was carried off. 

“It impressed me,” Conceicao told Sky Sport Italia about the reception Maignan received. 

“I have to congratulate the Udinese fans. There’s a player on one side, there’s a human on the other. They can whistle the player, but not the man. That applause was incredible gesture. In 40 years of football, I’ve rarely seen anything like it. Mike is now in the hospital for tests.” 

Conceicao also responded to questions about his change in shape from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3 against Udinese. 

“We worked on this system when we had players who went off to their national teams,” he revealed. “But, I couldn’t change it immediately. Now we’ve worked on this system for another week and the players embraced the idea.” 

On Milan’s performance, the coach added: “I had good feelings. We were a team today, but it’s only three points. Now we have to think about Atalanta. That said, I saw a solid, balanced team, and a willingness from a physical point of view.”