Ismael Bennacer has responded to the possibility of rejoining Arsenal one day in the future, while he also spoke about his injury recovery and what it means to be an AC Milan player.
Bennacer gave an interview to SportBible about a number of different topics and he began with making his return to the field after 206 days out during the recent home win against Frosinone after undergoing knee surgery eight months ago.
“Football is a big part of my life and it was the first time in my career that I was out for such a long amount of time. To be injured for that amount of time, in one of the most important matches of my career, to tell the truth, it hurt. Especially recently, it’s been difficult seeing the team struggling. You want to be there to help your team-mates. It was a new experience for me, but it’s a risk of the job.”
Bennacer came through the youth academy of his hometown club Arles but then moved to Arsenal in 2015 while still a teenager. He was with the Gunners for two years including a loan to Ligue 2 side Tours FC, and he made just one appearances.
“I went to Arsenal to develop and have a technical education. But I’m someone who wants to play – I wasn’t yet 19 but I was eager to play. Even at Arsenal, my goal wasn’t to play in the reserve team but the first team. I wasn’t given that opportunity but it was a positive experience that helped me in my career.”
Bennacer was asked about the potential of returning to north London one day in the future, and he didn’t rule it out.
“It’s true that Arsenal are among the clubs close to my heart. Arsenal and Milan have many similarities in terms of the organisation and the fact they are family clubs. The Premier League is a very big competition and anyone would want to play there.
“But Milan is also a massive club and I feel very, very happy here. I’m someone who always likes to have targets for the future, but there are lots of things I still want to achieve with Milan. We’ll see.”
The Algerian also commented on why he decided to leave Arsenal in order to make the switch to Empoli, from whom he joined the Rossoneri back in the summer of 2019.
“The [struggle] has been part of my life. I’m always underestimated. It’s the world of football. I arrived from Empoli. The fans didn’t know me. But it gave me the desire to prove them wrong. It pushed me to overcome the odds.
“I knew that when I arrived the criticism would not cause me any problems. On the contrary, I was determined for everyone to see my quality and even now, every training session, every game I want to do everything so people do not forget what I have to offer.”
