Conti suffers knee injury setback

A major setback in his recovery from a knee injury has scuppered Andrea Conti's hopes of returning for the Milan derby.

Andrea Conti has suffered ligament damage to the same knee on which he had surgery last September, AC Milan have confirmed.

The 24-year-old has sustained a severe sprain and is set to undergo further checks in the coming days.

The news is a major blow to the full-back, who had hoped to make his comeback in the derby clash with Inter on April 4, having last featured in August.

"AC Milan inform that during today's training session, Andrea Conti has suffered a sprained knee injury, the same knee he underwent surgery on September 16," a Milan statement confirmed on Tuesday.

"The diagnostic exams and checks carried out by Professor Herbert Schoenhuber excluded a rupture of the reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but they have shown a severe sprain to the lateral knee compartment, which will be further evaluated in the coming days."

Conte joined the Rossoneri from Atalanta last July in a deal that cost a reported €24million and saw Matteo Pessina move the other way.