AC Milan: 5 Players to Watch During November International Break

A few players from Milan will be traveling with their respective nations during the upcoming November international break, looking to impress their other coaches and be chosen for the next major international tournament.

Despite clubs often worrying about injuries picked up during these adventures, we'll try to focus on a more positive side of the break.

Some of the players on this list haven't had the best season for Milan, so it'll be worth keeping a tab on how this might hamper their international roles.

Without Serie A this weekend, let's take a look at five Milan players to watch who'll be plying their trade for a national team.

Stephan El Shaarawy, Italy

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New Italian national team boss Antonio Conte had to be smiling as he watched Milan take on Sampdoria this past weekend.

Conte loves strikers with great work rate, so there aren't many better than Stephan El Shaarawy. Despite his tremendous work ethic, El Shaarawy finally found the back of the net against Sampdoria and scored his first goal in 622 days in Serie A.

Remember, this is the same player who was a starter for Italy as a teenager after putting his name on the map with that fantastic performance with Milan two seasons ago, when he scored 14 goals before Christmas.

Italy face Croatia on November 16, and El Shaarawy should see starting time.

Mattia De Sciglio, Italy

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Mattia De Sciglio has had a bit of a down year with Milan, not really making a jump forward to the next level like many expected. He hasn't looked too quick, and his crossing has been off when he does make the forward runs.

Despite this, Conte still will want to use De Sciglio in a more attacking role in his usual 3-5-2, where young Mattia can cover either wing-back role.

De Sciglio is still only 22 years old. He has tremendous experience for a player of his age. He was Italy's starter at the World Cup, and he has played more than a dozen matches in the Champions League for Milan.

Conte should give him the green light to venture forward as much as he likes, providing width on the left-hand side of the formation.

Keisuke Honda, Japan

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Keisuke Honda will play for Japan in the Kirin Challenge Cup this upcoming week where they'll be pitted against Australia and Honduras.

Honda has gotten off to a fantastic start with Milan this campaign, especially after the disappointing start to this calendar year.

He has six goals in Serie A, all coming from a variety of angles that show off his versatility as a player. Keep in mind that he's done all of this playing slightly out of position as a right-winger.

Honda should have a more central role for Japan under new head coach Javier Aguirre, who replaced Alberto Zaccheroni this past summer.

Cristian Zapata, Colombia

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Cristian Zapata will most likely start for the Colombian national team in their two upcoming friendlies.

They play their first against the USA in London at Craven Cottage, and then, they travel to Ljubljana to take on the Slovenian national team.

Zapata's performances for Colombia were a far cry from what we've seen so far out of him this season at Milan. With the Rossoneri, he has looked shaky and incapable of making the right decision in possession when being pressed.

It was a far different story at the World Cup. Hopefully, this international break gives him a boost of some sort and allows him to tap back into the summer's form—and then take it back to the Milanello.

Pablo Armero, Colombia

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The curious case of Pablo Armero continues at Milan.

Filippo Inzaghi simply refuses to use him in any situation. When the 28-year-old joined in the summer, he was expected to have some sort of role coming off of a strong World Cup with Colombia.

He has only played 13 minutes this entire season, coming off the bench just once. Rewind back to the summer, and Armero was Colombia's marauding left-back at the World Cup, getting forward with his blazing speed and even scoring.

Unfortunately, Milan fans have yet to see this side of him at the San Siro. It'll be interesting to see if Colombia's Jose Pekerman decides not to use him in the starting XI due to form.