AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez has been handed a two-match suspension following his red card in the recent match against Fiorentina. The French left-back will miss Milan’s upcoming fixtures against Udinese and Bologna but will be available for the highly anticipated clash against Napoli.
The disciplinary committee’s decision comes as a relief for Milan, as there were concerns that Hernandez might face a longer ban due to his role as captain during the incident. The official statement cites “repeatedly and disrespectfully directing seriously disrespectful criticism towards the match official” as the reason for the suspension.
Hernandez will be absent for Milan’s match against Udinese on October 19th and the subsequent game against Bologna on October 26th. However, he will be eligible to return for the crucial encounter with Napoli at San Siro on October 30th.
The suspension adds to Hernandez’s disappointing performance against Fiorentina, where he was involved in conceding a penalty and missed one himself after taking the ball from designated taker Christian Pulisic.
Milan coach Paulo Fonseca now faces the challenge of finding a suitable replacement for the next two matches. Options include Filippo Terracciano, who filled in for Hernandez during pre-season, or young Spanish defender Alex Jiménez. The possibility of shifting Davide Calabria to left-back seems unlikely due to his recent calf injury.
