Matteo Gabbia will not travel to Turin for Milan's clash with Juventus, ruled out by an ankle problem that has no clear recovery timeline attached to it.
The absence lands at an awkward point given how the summer played out. Milan spent much of the mercato chasing another centre-back, with Goncalo Inacio the standout target and others in the frame, a sign of how much Ruben Amorim wanted extra cover at the back. That reinforcement never arrived, and now the squad is short precisely where it wanted depth.
Gabbia has been managing the ankle issue since it first surfaced in pre-season, and his involvement this season tells the story: just 17 minutes played, a return that points to a player who was not fully fit when the campaign began.
According to Radio Rossonera, he will not be available for the Juventus game, and there is no estimated timeline for his comeback, with the ankle problem described as difficult to resolve. He has previously travelled with the squad while carrying the injury and could do so again at some stage, but he will play no part this weekend.
The timing of Milan's late deadline-day move for Inacio reads differently against this backdrop. With Gabbia struggling and no fresh defender through the door, the decision to end the window without adding to the centre-back options looks harder to defend by the week.
For now, Amorim heads to Turin without one of his central defenders and no date for when he gets him back.