For months Youssouf Fofana was AC Milan’s only impressive summer signing, and yet in recent weeks his importance has been reduced under Sergio Conceicao.
As Calciomercato.com write, since the Portuguese coach took over from his compatriot Paulo Fonseca, the strong feeling is that the hierarchy has changed within the dressing room. While for some players that is good news, others will naturally drop down and this includes Fofana.
In some of the most recent outings, the circumstance could be justified in some way by the evident state of tiredness of a player who – until the match against Parma on January 26 – had played 31 consecutive games from the first minute and often for the full 90 minutes.
With 41 games in all competitions from August to today, obtaining a total playing time that has already exceeded 3,000 minutes (plus one goal and six assists), there is no doubting that Fofana remains one of the key men.
He was signed from Monaco because of his physical and technical characteristics to act as a filter in the middle of the field and give balance to a department with many ball carriers and no defensive-minded players.
With the change of coach and the transition from a keep-ball philosophy under Fonseca to a more direct approach under Conceiçao, the Frenchman has ended up being benched for five of the last nine games across all competitions.
The international break has brought good and bad news for Fofana. On the one hand he has not been called up by the French national team which is perhaps a symbol of his difficult moment, but on the other hand he can work with Conceicao at Milanello for two weeks without interruption.
When the season resumes against Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Yunus Musah will not be there available to suspension, so the return of Fofana alongside Reijnders will be inevitable. It may be circumstantial, though Musah’s obvious struggles present a chance to be taken.
