Fikayo Tomori will not be participating in the Euro 2024 qualifier between England and Italy at Wembley tonight. Gareth Southgate has decided to exclude him from the squad, despite Tomori’s strong performance this season, which earned him a recall to the England team for the current international matches. Tomori started in the 1-0 friendly victory against Australia on Friday and generally performed well.
Being one of the standout defenders in Serie A, many expected Tomori to get another opportunity against Italy, a team he’s faced multiple times in the past.
However, reports from Sky indicate that neither Tomori nor Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah are included in the matchday squad for the Wembley clash between England and Italy. Moreover, there are no reported injury concerns for either player.
It remains uncertain whether Tomori will return to his club, Milan’s training facility (Milanello), ahead of schedule, but this development is undoubtedly a personal setback for him.
BREAKING 🚨: Fikayo Tomori and Eddie Nketiah have been left out of the England squad for tonight's Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy ❌ pic.twitter.com/orq0p0OVMG
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 17, 2023
Ismael Bennacer returned back at Milanello yesterday
Five months after undergoing surgery to address the chondral lesion in the cartilage of his right knee, Ismael Bennacer made his return to Milanello. According to a report in Tuttosport (via MilanNews), Bennacer has been in a recovery phase in various locations, including Italy, Paris, Algeria, Morocco, and Qatar. He is now set to continue his recuperation at Milanello with the aim of making a speedy comeback.
The club is currently refraining from providing any specific return dates, emphasizing the need for patience in this process. While the most optimistic estimates point to a mid-December return, there’s a prevailing sense that the timeline could be pushed into January.
It’s worth noting that the beginning of 2024 marks the African Cup of Nations, where Bennacer might have the opportunity to represent the Algerian national team before rejoining Milan in action.
At this stage, Bennacer is primarily focused on personal training to regain muscle strength. However, the time is nearing for him to rejoin team training alongside his fellow players.
His teammates eagerly await his return, especially head coach Stefano Pioli, who is keen to form the ‘ideal’ midfield trio with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders on either side of Bennacer, who will take on the role of a regista.