Gasperini now has Bailey back with the squad and plans to use him from the start on Thursday against Viktoria Plzen.
The Jamaican, last a starter on March 4th (Aston Villa vs. Bruges), has shown excellent signs of fitness and mental fitness in recent days.
Having recovered from the tendon injury that sidelined him for the first two months of the season, he’s now aiming to score his first reggae-inspired goal in Italy.
Yesterday, in a practice match, he warmed up with a powerful left-footed strike into the top corner, earning applause from his teammates and further confirmation that Gasperini is keen to focus on him.
Where will he play? For now, Leggo reports, he’ll play behind Dovbyk; further up the pitch, the coach’s idea is a “light” attacking trio complemented by Soulé and Dybala.
Bailey’s playing position is relatively different: in his career, he’s made 175 appearances on the right flank and 138 on the left, with a scoring average of 0.19 on the right flank (34 goals in 175 games) and 0.20 on the left flank (28 in 138). His peak performance came in 2023-24: 52 games, 14 goals, and 13 assists.
