Today, Milan will train at the Milanello pitch only in the afternoon, likely to give the many international players returning, especially Pulisic and Musah in this case, a chance to fully recover from the trip and the exertions of the past 10 days. But the spotlight at the Carnago sports center today will be on Matteo Gabbia, who is expected to return to full team training. This would be a very important recovery for Fonseca.
Gabbia back with the team
As confirmed this morning by Tuttosport, Matteo Gabbia is expected to return to full training today. The Rossoneri center-back has been out for almost a month: his last game was the Champions League match against Club Brugge, which handed Milan their first victory of the season in Europe's top competition. In that match, Gabbia was risked, and the cost was high. However, now the number 46 is very close to returning after working hard at Milanello this past week, following a personalised program.
Even in the first two days of this week, he continued his individual work, but starting today, he may rejoin the rest of the squad, which would be excellent news ahead of Saturday’s 6:00 PM CET match against Juventus at San Siro.
A captain like performance from Gabbia, then a contract renewal
Fonseca hopes to have the Italian centre-back back as soon as possible because, based on the numbers, he is the best-performing central defender for Milan this season, despite being the least used. At the beginning of the season, the defender who came through the youth system was invisible in the eyes of the Portuguese coach, but the match against Inter changed everything. With Gabbia on the field, Milan has a better points average than Napoli: 2.25 points per game compared to 1.29 when the Italian is absent.
The difference is huge, and it’s also evident when comparing him to his fellow defenders, who have a much lower points average. Perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not, but in general, even without referring to the stats, Gabbia's superiority is visible.
So much so that fans, after his return from loan, have made him the leader of the team, and many would like him to be captain. Certainly, while waiting for the armband, a contract renewal until 2029 is on the way, with an option that will also allow him to double his salary, as relayed via Milannews.it.
