This time a year ago, Matteo Gabbia was playing in Spain, for Villarreal. In the summer of 2023, Milan had decided to loan the defender born in ’99, considering him not yet mature enough to wear the Rossoneri shirt. In July, the yellow submarine came forward and in the final days of the same month, the Milanese club decided to define the operation on a temporary basis. There were two reasons behind this operation: the first, as mentioned, that of a Gabbia not yet up to the level of the starters in the squad. The second was to loan him to a competitive reality like Villarreal, capable however of guaranteeing him more minutes.
Gabbia has made seven appearances in La Liga and six in the Europa League for Villarreal: the first on the second day against Mallorca, the last on December 14th against Rennes. Thirteen in about three months: a leading role and no one in Spain is thinking of getting rid of it quickly.
But in the meantime, chaos has already broken out at Milan: the Rossoneri club, one game after another, begins to collect an incredible number of muscular problems and already at the end of November – after the injuries of Kalulu and Thiaw – the need to buy a new defender becomes clear at Milanello. Many evaluations, then the decision to bring Matteo Gabbia back to the fold: the operation will be defined already in December with the official announcement arriving on the first available day, January 3, 2024.
After his loan at Villarreal was interrupted, Gabbia immediately established himself as a starter at Milan and was among the most present players in the second part of the season: twenty-five appearances between the league and cups to earn a place in the team also in the season that has just begun. And that’s how it went. A year after the loan to Villarreal, Gabbia is now a full-time starter for Milan and yesterday he decided the Milan derby under the eyes of the national team coach Luciano Spalletti.