Some good news has arrived regarding the condition of Ismael Bennacer after an adductor problem disrupted his participation in the African Cup of Nations.
Stefano Pioli was probably not expecting to have Bennacer back before the end of the month given that he reported for Algeria duty and they were tipped to go deep into the tournament.
However, Tuesday night produced a shock in AFCON as the 2019 winners Algeria were dumped out of the tournament at the group stage, with Mauritania claiming a famous first ever win in the competition.
What was more worrying for the Rossoneri though was that Bennacer missed their last two group games due to feeling discomfort in his muscle.
According to what Peppe Di Stefano reported on Sky (via MilanNews), Bennacer underwent an MRI scan a few minutes ago to assess the extent of the problem which caused him to miss the two games last two games Algeria.
The result was negative, which means that no strain or tear in the muscle was seen and thus it is not a problem that requires a great deal of management or time off.
Bennacer will miss the Bologna game tomorrow night, but the journalist states that he will do two or three days of individual training with the aim of returning to full training next midweek.
Providing that everything goes to plan on that front, the former Empoli man will then be available for the match against Frosinone on Saturday 3 February.
Best Case scenario, return next week. Fingers crossed. But the Reijnders/Adli tandem looks better than I thought, honestly.
They’ve done OK, but a good rotation option is never a bad thing. Reijnders has played almost every game. It would be interesting to see Bennacer and Adli together at some point as Reijnders gets a break. Ideally they all play well together and it gives us options.
A player I greatly appreciate, but… Can anyone tell me exactly how many games he’s played for the first lineup in the last.. let’s say.. two seasons? Honestly, I think if there are clubs interested in his services, I think we might as well say goodbye to him next summer !
He’s like Verratti ,Ander Herrera. Running pressing sliding in etc trying to quickly win the ball back. That game is physically very demanding for someone whose supposedly main job is playmaking. That goes with injuries but I love these sort of players for they could of choosen to contribute less defensively and still be appreciated.