Ardon Jashari was one of the most eagerly anticipated signings for AC Milan in recent times, but he is yet to carve out a starting role.
Given the length of negotiations with Club Brugge and the amount that Milan agreed to invest to land him (almost €40m, including bonuses), expectations for Jashari were very high when he arrived at the club in August.
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Unfortunately, however, the serious injury at the end of August (a compound fracture of the right fibula after a collision in training with Santiago Gimenez) greatly complicated matters. MilanNews write that this can still be a useful first year for him.
An ‘apprenticeship’ year
The Swiss was forced to sit out for a long time, significantly slowing his adaptation both to Massimiliano Allegri’s tactical instructions and to Italian football in general, which is very different from the Belgian league.
Furthermore, during his time away, Allegri found the perfect formula in midfield. Luka Modric dictates the tempo in front of the defence, Adrien Rabiot flanks him to the left, and Youssouf Fofana has mostly been the physical presence on the right.
In the summer, when Modric arrived at Milanello, it was expected he would play as a box-to-box midfielder like at Real Madrid. After discussing his position with Allegri, the boss decided to place him in the deep-lying playmaker role.
With someone like Modric ahead of him, it’s difficult for Jashari to get consistent starts. Yet, on the contrary, Jashari must make the most of this season, learning as much as possible from a champion like the Croatian.
This is especially true because next year, with a return to European competitions likely, Milan will have many more games to play. If Modric were to renew, it is unthinkable that he would start them all, and that could be Jashari’s time to shine with a view to taking the reins full-time.
The longer Modric starts, the slower Jashari develops. Hard call.
I don’t think there’s any president that shows your statement to be true. Great prospects have sat behind other great players and have done fine. Look at how many young talents leave their parent club at first chance to get playing time and end up ruining their careers. That notion is just a leverage tactic agents have pushed to increase the number of transfers and commissions.
Here’s another example, Musah. I was one of Musah’s biggest supporters when he arrived and believed in the promise he showed. He got all the playing time the world yet I’d actually argue it stunted him, ruined his confidence and ruined his teammates and coaches confidence in him. The amount of playing time he was given at such a young age, before he had time to learn a position or tactics. It was a bad situation and throwing him out there over and over again was destructive to his development.
Italy is a difficult league to play, young players typically struggle and take a year to settle in. With both Musah and CDK they weren’t given time, just thrown to the wolves for ppl to rip them apart in the media and social media spaces. It’s such a toxic thing and when folks say these senseless things they project that toxicity into the club.
The sensible thing to take way at this point is the injury actually has helped him, given him the advantage of no expectations for his first season. Sitting behind and learning from modric in a pressure free role really sounds like the best way to adapt to a new league. I think it’s ok to be hopeful about him.