Tiemoue Bakayoko clashed with AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso on the bench during Monday’s 2-1 win over Bologna.
Bakayoko, who is on loan at the San Siro from Chelsea, started the game among the Milan substitutes but was asked to warm-up by Gattuso after Lucas Biglia suffered a first-half injury.
A conversation took place between manager and player, before Bakayoko appeared to tell Gattuso to ‘f*** off’. Gattuso brought on Jose Mauri instead and Bakayoko remained on the bench for the remainder of the game.
“I told Bakayoko to warm up, he took his time and I chose Mauri,” Gattuso said after the match. “I have 27 players, we wear a glorious shirt and I must be objective and honest in everything I do. I waited seven or eight minutes, he still had not put on his shin pads so I made that choice.”
Bakayoko joined Milan on a season-long loan from Chelsea in August, 12 months after moving to Stamford Bridge in a £40million transfer from Monaco. Milan have an option to sign Bakayoko on a permanent basis but it remains to be seen whether they will opt to keep him.
Monday’s 2-1 win over Bologna kept Milan in the hunt for a top-four finish. Former Liverpool duo Suso and Fabio Borini struck to lift Milan to fifth in Serie A, three points adrift of the top four with three games left.
Lucas Paqueta was sent off for the hosts, while Bologna ended the match with nine men after Mitchell Dijks and Nicola Sansone were both dismissed in second-half injury time. Mattia Destro had pulled a goal back for Bologna, who remain 15th.
Milan opened the scoring after 37 minutes when Suso grabbed his first goal since January by collecting the ball on the edge of the area, holding off three challenges and finding the bottom corner. Borini made it 2-0 after 67 minutes when he pounced from close range after Lukasz Skorupski had saved Paqueta’s deflected half-volley. Destro made it 2-1 when he collected Sansone’s cute pass and fired in from six yards. Paqueta collected his second yellow card three minutes later before Dijks and Sansone walked in stoppage time.
