GdS: ‘Rabiot’s day’ – why Allegri is ready to welcome midfield favourite with open arms

Adrien Rabiot is getting ready for his first proper day as an AC Milan player, with the gates of Milanello waiting to open for him.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning how Rabiot will arrive from Paris today and will have four days to get used to Milanello, before making his grand debut at San Siro on Sunday evening against Bologna.

He doesn’t need an introduction to Massimiliano Allegri’s instructions: Adrien was one of Max’s most loyal players at Juventus and already knows his duties at his new club. If his memories of Juventus have faded, Rabiot and the coach have had the opportunity to speak on the phone in recent days.

Straight into the fray

The Milan staff will have the opportunity to assess Rabiot’s condition firsthand today. Adrien is fine, as confirmed publicly by French coach Deschamps, the last to have him available.

After the first day of the Ligue 1 season, and the ensuing dressing room brawl with Rowe, Rabiot was removed from the team, spending the next two matches banished. For his national team, he played twice as a substitute: 15 minutes against Ukraine, and 20 minutes against Iceland.

His last start was thus on August 15th, followed by a series of individual training sessions – albeit at a high intensity – before the training and matches with France. Allegri and his men will personally evaluate him today: the 30-year-old has three training sessions available to prove his sharpness.

However, his condition cannot be optimal, and a start on the bench is likely. With the opponents more tired, his time will come. San Siro will certainly have the opportunity to get to know him, and he will face off against Rowe, who joined Bologna.

The bond

Rabiot has chosen the No.12 but he will be more than that: he’ll be a certainty in Max’s XI. At Juve, they were on the same side in 128 games (16 goals scored by Rabiot), and together they won a Coppa Italia.

The ex-PSG man knows what Allegri asks of him, and Allegri knows what Rabiot can give him. Work rate, coverage, but also runs forward and goals. In Marseille, he also improved his aim: ten goals in 32 games in Ligue 1.

Adrien adds something that can’t be expressed in numbers: personality. The midfield, with him and Modric, will certainly not lack leadership. Everything is ready to write new chapters, so much so that yesterday Rabiot officially said goodbye to Marseille.

All that was missing was a farewell to the fans, written affectionately on his Instagram page: “From you, I felt this fervor, this passion, this love for football that encourages you and makes Marseille a unique city and club in France. I will never forget the atmosphere at the Velodrome.”