GdS: New coach, new role, new look – Milan hoping for a ‘rediscovered’ Bennacer | OneFootball

Ismael Bennacer could have ended up in Saudi Arabia in the summer, but now he is there with AC Milan and hoping to prove to a new coach what he can do.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, Bennacer was heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League before the start of the season. He played the first league game against Torino with his fate in the air, then a serious calf injury with Algeria during the first international break changed everything.

The most important news is this: Bennacer is much better now and could be a starter in Juventus-Milan tonight in the Supercoppa Italiana, for the first time in four and a half months. It has been a long recovery path after undergoing surgery and he is ready to show his worth.

The Algerian has only had 45-60 minutes of football but he seems much fitter than before. In the past few months he’s worked in Qatar, at the Aspire Academy, followed remotely and sometimes in person by the Milan staff.

The next step is to understand what role he can have in the dressing room and on the field under Sergio Conceicao. In the locker room, it’s simple: Bennacer is one of Milan’s veterans, he won the Scudetto, he has strong friendships in the team, with Thiaw and Musah above all.

On the pitch, the new coach is experimenting. With Conceiçao, he can play as a mezzala – perhaps with Fofana in the centre of midfield – or as one of the pairing in a 4-4-2. It is less likely at the moment to see him used as an attacking midfielder like in the spring of 2023 under Stefano Pioli.

Speaking of Pioli, he visited the squad in training yesterday and he encountered a Bennacer with a new longer haircut and a new style, one that he will hope continues in the new year.