Pervis Estupinan is set to get the chance once again tomorrow, starting in Lazio-Milan, and it’s a turn of events that we saw at the start of the season with Davide Bartesaghi.
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When Milan announced the arrival of Estupinan from Brighton in the summer, everyone expected him to be the Theo Hernandez replacement, especially since they paid close to €20m. At the start of the season, that was definitely the case, with the Ecuadorian considered a starter in the team.
However, after receiving a red card in the game against Napoli, Estupinan had to sit out the clash against Juventus and Bartesaghi stepped up to the plate. The international break followed and unfortunately for the Ecuadorian, he sustained an ankle injury with his national team.
This meant that Bartesaghi not only got the chance against Juventus, but also in the games against Fiorentina, Pisa and Atalanta. There and then, Massimiliano Allegri understood that he was something special and made him the starter instead.
Roles reversed
16 games after definitely becoming the starter, we could be looking at another change for Bartesaghi. Due to muscle discomfort, he started on the bench in the Derby della Madonnina and Estupinan definitely seized the opportunity, scoring the winner with a cracking effort.
Reports are suggesting that Estupinan will get the chance against Lazio as well, keen on giving the player in form continued faith. It only makes sense as that is exactly why Allegri decided to start Bartesaghi instead, throwing any hierarchy out the window by relying on the form instead.
Now, having said the above, Estupinan has been more error-prone than Bartesaghi this season and that could lead to yet another shift down the line. If he wants to avoid that, then the Ecuadorian will have to put in another good performance tomorrow, perhaps with another goal or an assist…