Legendary Italian coach Fabio Capello believes that Milan are taking a gamble by signing Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen rather than Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United, as despite being ‘technically gifted’, the Nigerian’s injury record and lack of familiarity with Serie A could be an issue.

Milan have a deal in place with Bayer Leverkusen and are expecting to welcome Boniface to the city on Friday to undergo a medical. If the deal goes through, the Rossoneri will pay a €5m loan fee and will have an option to buy for an additional €24m.

Multiple outlets in Italy believe, however, that Boniface’s injury record is a cause for concern for Milan. The Nigeria international suffered two cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries during his time with Bodo/Glimt and has spent extended periods on the sidelines in each of the last two seasons with Leverkusen.

Additionally, Boniface is expected to be unavailable for several weeks midway through the season for AFCON, which will limit Massimiliano Allegri’s options up front in December and January.

Capello: Boniface ‘technically gifted, but stopped too often for injuries’

Capello, writing in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column, believes that this makes Boniface a slightly risky signing for Milan.

Capello also used Napoli as a comparison to show how Milan should have operated in their search for a new striker.

“Conte was put in a position to be able to fight for the title: Targeted signings, and a whole new spine. From Buongiorno to McTominay to Lukaku, a guarantee at centre-forward,” Capello wrote.

“Milan should do the same with Allegri. But the move for a new centre-forward has gone down a different route. Because, after a long negotiation with Hojlund, the Rossoneri have turned to Boniface, gambling on a technically gifted striker, but one that has been stopped too often due to physical problems.

“In addition, the Nigerian coming in from Bayer Leverkusen will need time to settle into Serie A, while the Dane from Manchester United would have been a ready-to-go striker given his experience with Atalanta.”

Capello went on to explain that he was disappointed to learn that Milan turned to Boniface largely due to financial reasons.