What we saw against Manchester United was the Jashari who had made Igli Tare fall in love with him and convinced Milan to invest around €34 million in him after an entire summer of negotiations with Club Brugge.
In Poland, against the Red Devils, the Swiss midfielder showcased his best qualities: intensity, pressing, long-range passing and his ability to play in the final third. The tempo was still very much that of a summer friendly, with temperatures reaching almost 35°C in the shade, but his quality was there for all to see. "I'm happy with both the victory and the team’s performance. I think we’re on the right track and expressing ourselves well as a group," the No. 30 said after the match in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Now comes the interesting part, and he knows it too. Last season was severely affected both by a serious summer injury (a fractured fibula sustained in a training-ground collision) and by the fact that Allegri used him without giving him any real continuity and in a way that did not suit his characteristics. Jashari is a very vertical player, both with his passing and his pressing. His ideal style of football involves aggressively closing down opponents and finding teammates between the lines in highly dangerous areas. "We know how the coach wants us to play and, although naturally you can’t put it all into practice perfectly from one day to the next, we’re working hard to make it happen. We’ve taken a step forward in terms of the style we want to play, but I think we still need to improve certain details, both with and without the ball. However, we’re on the right track. Now we have to keep going like this and all believe in it together as a team," the Swiss midfielder said.
Now he needs to find consistency, and he could have the opportunity to do so. Against Torino, he has made a strong case for a starting spot, especially as Rabiot only returned today, Fofana is out of the squad and Ricci appears to be well down Amorim’s pecking order. Musah struggled against United, so Ardon remains an option to partner Modric in the opening league match. He would certainly welcome it: "That’s the coach’s decision, but I think that, naturally, playing with Luka is fantastic. He’s one of the best players in the world and sharing the pitch with him is incredible. We played together for 30 minutes against Inter and I think we saw there that we can play alongside each other. We’ll see what the coach decides, but I’m not going to say no to playing with Luka. Quite the opposite…" he said with a smile.
And when Rabiot returns? Well, the Swiss midfielder can still find playing time, given that Milan will also have the Europa League to contend with. And because, unfortunately, Modric cannot play forever. For now, Jashari says he is ready to show everyone the qualities that convinced Milan to sign him a year ago: "If the team performs as it should, then I can show my qualities on the pitch. I’m happy with my performance. I know there are also things I can improve on to be at my best, and I hope that next week and throughout this season, I can be at my best."
