Today, there was bad news from Algeria: Ismael Bennacer suffered a serious injury during a training session on a synthetic field.
According to medical staff of the national team, he sustained a third-degree calf injury, which is similar to a muscle tear, with all the consequences that follow. The initial estimates, pending further examinations when the midfielder returns to Italy on Tuesday for additional tests with Milan, suggest a long recovery time ranging from two and a half to three months. It will take at least six weeks for the injury to heal.
This is a big blow for Paulo Fonseca, who loses a potential starter for a significant period. As a result, this will likely accelerate the integration of Silvano Vos into the first team. Last week, Vos made his debut with Milan’s Future team in the 1-1 home draw against Carpi. The 2005-born Dutchman arrived in the final days of the transfer window for around 2.5 million euros plus bonuses. Despite his young age, the former Ajax player has already made several appearances in the Eredivisie and Europa League, and he could now become a serious option for Fonseca. However, he cannot be included in the Champions League squad as he doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for the B-list. For this, Milan already has an alternative in Kevin Zeroli.
Vos will be available only in Serie A, while Zeroli will be eligible for both the league and the Champions League. But if Milan decides to target a heavyweight like Adrien Rabiot, who is currently a free agent, what would the situation look like? The former Juventus player, who continues to reject offers from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, hoping to remain at a high level in Europe, could take Bennacer’s place in the Serie A squad but not in the Champions League squad, at least until the knockout stage begins, provided Milan qualifies from the group stage.
This, however, would effectively mean announcing Bennacer’s departure in advance: if Rabiot takes his spot in Serie A, the Algerian would not be able to rejoin the squad unless there is another departure among the 17 non-homegrown players. In any case, Bennacer wouldn’t be able to play in Serie A until at least January, when the winter transfer window opens, and would only be available for Champions League matches.
It’s a delicate and unfortunate situation, and Milan will have to carefully consider the best solution for both the present and the future. This is especially true given that Bennacer earns 4 million euros net annually (7.2 million euros gross). While awaiting this decision, Vos and Zeroli are likely to spend more time with the First Team than with Milan Futuro team.
