GdS: Bennacer could be back before 2025 – why his return will be fundamental | OneFootball

Ismael Bennacer is getting closer to making his return to the field, and he should lend an important hand to a department that is stretched.

La Gazzetta dello Sport begin a report on the Algerian by recalling the words of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the build-up to the game against Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday night, as he stated: “Bennacer will be back in a week.”

The ‘week’ timescale needs to be contextualised: Ibrahimovic didn’t mean that Bennacer could be called up for the game away against Atalanta on December 6. However, the announcement is still fundamental because it means he will return to Milanello and begin regaining fitness.

In short, a couple of weeks and he should be in contention again. Bennacer had suffered a tear in his right calf during a training session with the national team, which was followed by surgery on September 16, with the initial prognosis being a return in 2025.

However, with hard work and a personalised recovery programme, it seems the former Empoli man has shaved some time off that. Seeing Bennacer on the field by the end of December is absolutely plausible, with all the necessary precautions of course.

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In the summer Bennacer seems to be one step away from the Saudi League and then, when he stayed, he was considered a sort of ‘new signing’. Now history repeats itself, given he has been out of the plans and will now re-enter at a time of need.

It is undeniable that Ismael’s return is vital for Fonseca’s midfield. Numerically speaking, it is not in such a bad state, but the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Yunus Musah are more athletic than technical, and cannot fill the double pivot slots with ease.

This is the reason why Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders have been asked to perform overtime for a long time now. The minutes played says it all: 1,305 for Fofana, 1,274 for Reijnders (followed by Pulisic with 1,264).

Considering that the Rossoneri have been on the pitch for a total of 1,530 minutes, the degree of ‘squeezing’ of the two midfielders is very clear. For example, in the Champions League, Reijnders has not missed a single minute and Fofana has only had a rest for half an hour.

Luckily for Fonseca, Bennacer has the characteristics to be able to replace both of them because he can sit in front of the defence and break up play but is also good at advancing the ball with his press resistance and passing.

If necessary, he can also become an additional attacking midfielder as we saw in the run to the Champions League semi-finals under Stefano Pioli in 2022-23. Fofana and Reijnders are waiting, hoping to catch a breath.