Matteo Gabbia will be forced to sit on the sidelines for the next month, which once again leaves AC Milan in a precarious position.
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As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, the injury Gabbia suffered during the warm-up for the match against Como proved more serious than expected. The defender – who has missed the last three games – will be sidelined for about four weeks.
Gabbia had to undergo surgery, performed in London by Professor Schilders in the presence of Dr. Mazzoni, to resolve an inguinal hernia. The operation was a complete success, and Gabbia is doing well, but no risks will be taken, and his medical condition will be evaluated on a weekly basis.
A department exposed
Now, Massimiliano Allegri will have to think about the defensive plan for the derby, even though the last three games without Gabbia have already given him a clear direction. Koni De Winter is the new defensive anchor, along with Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic.
Meanwhile, there is another issue: Davide Bartesaghi’s condition. There’s hope that the Italian could make a recovery after a scan ruled out any serious muscle issue. If he’s forced to sit out, Pervis Estupiñan will take over the left-back spot.
These two absences could have a big impact, and it exposes the ever-present issue of very thin defensive depth. Allegri has always considered this month to be crucial for the season, and being without two starters for the biggest game would not be a great start.
Milan will have to work on this in the summer, because you can’t always hope that everything will go well and that no one gets hurt. It’s also a deep squad that can decide a title: Allegri needs more replacements to avoid a drop-off.