Conceicao praises Udinese ´incredible gesture´ in support of injured Maignan

Sergio Conceicao saluted Udinese’s fans for their “incredible” support of Mike Maignan, who was stretchered off during AC Milan’s 4-0 victory at Bluenergy Stadium on Friday.

The Rossoneri goalkeeper was involved in a sickening clash of heads with team-mate Alex Jimenez in the 51st minute.

Maignan, who was briefly unconscious, left the field on a stretcher before he was taken to hospital for further assessment.

And Conceicao was grateful for the reception his captain received from the home fans while he was tended to, and subsequently taken from the pitch.

“It impressed me. The player on the ground, the chaos around him. I have to compliment the Udinese fans,” the Milan boss told Sky Sport.

“The player is one thing, and the man is another. They can boo the player, but not the man. That applause was an incredible gesture. In 40 years of football, I have seen few gestures like that.”

That’s what we like to see#UdineseMilan #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/lXiUX1MsyQ

— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 11, 2025

Milan ended a run of three games without a victory, as well as recording their first clean sheet in 10 matches across all competitions.

Rafael Leao and Strahinja Pavlovic struck just before half-time, while Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders were also on target after the break as the Rossoneri moved within six points of the top four.

But with third-placed Atalanta descending on San Siro next weekend, Conceicao is not looking too far ahead in his side’s quest to secure European football next season.

“Today, we were a team, but it’s only three points,” he said. “Now, we immediately think about Atalanta.

“In any case, I saw a solid and balanced team, as well as physically available. There was time to work on it. It was important to have two to three weeks to work [during the international break].”

“We’re thinking about working tomorrow, we shouldn’t talk too much. In the end, what matters are the results of each day [of training], the rest comes as a consequence in the game.”