It is futile for people to keep asking Rafael Leao to step up, reach maturity and start working harder, because Susy Campanale has realised it’s never going to happen.

Every few months the debate rolls around again, with the same critics pointing out this is the season when Leao will finally move to the next level in his career, start working for the team, tracking back to defend, being more tactically versatile, and focused for the full 90 minutes. As Adrien Rabiot and Alessandro Florenzi quite rightly pointed out this week, he is 26 years old, he cannot still be referred to as a young player finding his path in life. That time has been and gone. Let’s just accept this is who he is and always will be.

Sometimes football fans can be like those women you see in terrible relationships, convinced they can ‘change’ the man in their life. It is far healthier to simply accept someone for who they are, in the good and the bad, or leave him, because trying to force them into a box is just going to create resentment on one side and disappointment on the other.

Rafael Leao cannot be expected to transform

How many years have we been having this conversation about Rafael Leao? I don’t know what has given people the impression he is in any way capable of becoming a focused, committed football player who will help the defence and unite with the midfield. It would negate all the positives about his game, which are that he has these sudden bursts of life, and always plays with a smile on his face – often literally. Take that away and all you have left is someone with lightning pace and usually poor finishing.

If Milan want Leao to be more consistent in front of goal, then using him as a centre-forward isn’t necessarily the answer. He enjoys running at players, which means needing space to surge into, and he won’t get that when he’s the most advanced figure on the pitch. Giving him extra duties like keeping an eye on the offside line and holding up the ball for teammates is just going to eat into his already limited concentration span.

We also need to acknowledge Leao has never been particularly prolific. Only twice in six seasons has he gone into double figures for Serie A goals and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. The more extra work you give him, whether it’s positioning or helping the defence, the less he’ll be ready to put the ball in the net when he has the opportunity.

So either Milan and Max Allegri accept Leao as he is, or they can do what probably should’ve been done a few years ago and sell him to the Premier League for a ridiculous amount of money. Hopefully their directors will only watch the highlight reels and not the frustrating figure he often cuts when wandering around the field aimlessly. The pace of the game might suit him better there, fewer chances to get distracted and less defending required. The worst scenario for everyone concerned is to continue this annual routine of demanding a change that simply isn’t in his nature.