Ismael Bennacer, the AC Milan Algerian midfielder who returned to Milanello yesterday, has spoken to the microphones of the YouTube channel 'Le Club des 5' and said these statements about his recovery process:
"I'm doing very well, I'm on schedule. It's a somewhat unique injury in football because it involves the cartilage. It's a rather long stop, and honestly, we don't have an exact date for the return. We have a period, between 6 and 8 months, but it depends on the knee's reaction. Champions League derby? It was a special match for me, everyone was waiting for it: a derby in the Champions League semifinals. It was one of the most important matches of my career. I was frustrated, it's part of the job: everyone has risks, you have to accept it. I didn't have too many holidays after, I was focused on rehabilitation. It was a long injury in which I found something good: when you face something so tough in life, you have to see both the glass half empty and half full. I took advantage of it to optimise time in my life, spend time with my family. I miss the field a lot."
On Milan's support, Bennacer said:
"The club has been very close to me. Just the fact that a club lets you leave, follows you as it happened with me. They provided me with everything. They let me choose the surgeon for the operation and where to do the rehabilitation: they understood that the mental aspect of all this is crucial. They didn't impose anything on me. I talk a lot with Milan's doctors."
On his journey with Milan:
"When I arrived in 2019, the management's goal was to bring Milan back to the Champions League. Rebuild a Champions League-level team after complicated years. I arrived in the same year with Rafa and Theo. I signed a 5-year contract, which meant that in 5 years we had to bring Milan back to the Champions League. I arrived at one of the biggest clubs in the world, with an incredible history, everything is amazing. It's really top-notch, you feel it in every aspect, it's like a family, it's close to you", said Bennacer, "The level of organization is very high. In such a reality, goals are set and you have to achieve them. We made it back to the Champions League, won a Scudetto, and reached a Champions League semifinal."
On winning the Scudetto in the final matchday of the season against Sassuolo:
"We enjoyed it, but the next season everything was forgotten. Coming back from vacation, it was even tougher: you were the team to beat, you have the tricolor on your chest, you have to double your efforts."
On his journey, Bennacer said:
"I came from Empoli, I entered through a small door, even though I won the Africa Cup. Many said, 'Who is Bennacer? He comes from relegated Empoli?'. I love all of this very much, because you end up surprising people. It's an honour to be part of the reconstruction of a team like Milan, to be there from the beginning. It's the fifth season, I haven't even seen time pass. Status in the locker room? Respect is earned on the field, you prove your qualities on the field over and over again and earn respect. That's how I did it. I love football, but this is also a job that helps my family, and I want to excel in my work. I've never seen a player who people respect and is null on the field."
On the group at Milan, Bennacer said these words:
"Having 7 or 8 French-speaking players, I think it's a positive thing, we don't create problems in the locker room. We have a real, beautiful group. We're young, we try to learn. We're like a family, really. If someone is feeling down, you go talk to them. The coach doesn't need to go punish any wrong behaviour like arriving late, we tell each other things face to face: if someone arrives late, we say, 'Please, make sure it doesn't happen again for the good of the team.' Or we say, 'Today, you didn't do well, brother, be more careful.' Usually, it's the coach who says things like that, but it works like this for us. There's no ego. I think we all work for the good of the team. I have a lot of affinity with Rafa (Leao). He spent 6 months at Lille and speaks French very well. But I also have affinity with all the other players. With Yacine (Adli) too, who is doing very well now, I'm very happy to see him like this."
On his role, here's what Bennacer had to say:
"I understood each other very well with Kessie and Calhanoglu. At the beginning of last year, the coach put me as a right central midfielder and I even scored against Atalanta. It wasn't going badly, he gave me tasks, but I had more freedom. He told me he was giving me instructions, but I was freer. Then I went back to playing as a deep-lying playmaker because someone was missing there. I'm not saying I don't like that position, but I think the best period was with Kessie. As a number 6, everything depends on the context, the coach's mentality. If I have a coach obsessed with ball possession, taking risks, I really like that role. As a central midfielder (number 8), I really like it when the coach gives me tasks but also gives me freedom. However, I can play in both positions. The position against Napoli on Lobotka? It was the first match I played as a trequartista, it was something new for me. Without the ball, I had to focus on Lobotka."
