AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim will be without two key players for several months, so how will his and the club’s plans change?

After Alexis Saelemaekers went down with an ankle issue that needs surgery, Matteo Gabbia is the latest to be hit by the injury bug. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that he will miss three months if conservative treatment is chosen, and an extra month if surgery is chosen.

In any case, Amorim won’t see Gabbia again until 2027, at least on the training field. The situation gives substance to the fears many fans had already had this summer, when it became clear that the club’s focus on the transfer market was shifting to the attacking midfield role.

It is hard to fix every single issue in a single window, but some believe that a move for Gonçalo Inacio should have come prior to the final days of the window, especially given that the operation only didn’t materialise because Sporting CP had no time to replace him.

Internal and external solutions

Why did Milan choose to prioritise an attacking midfielder? Amorim and his staff determined that Filippo Terracciano can play on the centre-right and Davide Bartesaghi can play on the centre-left, while the young Valeri Vladimiro was deemed ready for a full-time promotion.

In numerical terms, the squad his fine. However, the strength of the defensive unit is a different story. Furthermore, the Fikayo Tomori situation also played a role: once the club realised they couldn’t secure a new defender, the Englishman was fully reinstated in a matter of hours.

Of course, it can’t be said that he’s suddenly become Amorim’s favourite: so far, he’s had zero minutes on the pitch. It’s logical to imagine him being included in the rotation in this tough run that awaits the Rossoneri until the next international break.

Without Gabbia, the starting centre-backs remain Mario Gila, Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic. Then there’s Sankhoun Diawara, a summer signing that went unnoticed, partly because he too hasn’t seen the field yet.

Diawara is a prospect more for the future than for right now, but now he’ll need to develop faster than expected because Pavlovic can’t play all the time. The Serbian – who has just renewed his deal – has played every minute so far, which is not sustainable.

Finally, as mentioned, there are the adaptable Terracciano and Bartesaghi, as well as 18-year-old Vladimirov. For other options, we’ll have to wait until the January transfer window, though the club’s philosophy remains to only make signings if the squad improves in quality.

The main target remains Inacio: it seems unlikely Sporting CP would let a key starter leave mid-season, but if a suitable offer is received, that could change. His price tag, however, is still around €40m.