Pioli: De Ketelaere 'must do more' amid Milan struggles

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has conceded Charles De Ketelaere 'needs to do more' as the Belgian's slow start to life at San Siro continues.

The 21-year-old was a notable addition in the pre-season transfer window, signing a five-year deal after the Serie A champions spent €36m to secure his services from the Club Brugge.

Expectations were high after 14 goals and nine assists in Belgium's top flight last season, but he's yet to have such an impact at Milan, contributing just one assist in his first 10 appearances in Serie A.

Pioli has made it clear he expects more from the Belgian, who is likely to represent his nation at the World Cup.

"De Ketelaere has the quality to make an impact in our attacking game. He has to do more, he knows that too," Pioli told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He still needs time, but the will of the boy counts. If you play for a top club, like Milan, you absolutely have to accept this competition and you have to do better than your teammate every day to convince the 'coach."

In further comments to DAZN after Saturday's 4-1 win over Monza, Pioli expressed his understanding that it was still early days, adding: "Charles has only been here for a few months. I had intended to play against him only 15 minutes tonight, but we had to rush it because of this [Braham Diaz] injury.

"He has the quality, he just needs to believe in himself to really bring out that potential. He's a smart boy, he knows how good he is, but it's a process and it will take time. time with good and bad performances to get there."