As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, “Luka Modric has found his alter ego” in Swiss international Ardon Jashari. The pink paper claims that he has steadily shown that he can play in front of the defence with “clear ideas and plenty of room for improvement.”

Alongside Christopher Nkunku from Chelsea, the 23-year-old Jashari’s €37 million move from Club Brugge was one of Milan’s most highly anticipated transfers, and one of the most expensive in the Rossoneri’s summer window.

After a solid grounding in pre-season and now some further impressive outings up to this point, it seems that the never-ending soap opera with Brugge was worth it.

Jashari has played a part of the unit that is seen as ‘Milan’s crown jewel’. Allegri is currently operating with a rare abundance of options in the midfield, and this is something that isn’t found elsewhere.

Jashari a positive in Milan’s Coppa Italia defeat against Lazio

Above all, each player is unique, and Jashari is no exception. His versatility allows him to fit in anywhere. In Belgium, he played mainly as a central midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but given his characteristics and aptitude, he can also play as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defence (as seen at the Olimpico against Lazio).

The main highlight in that 1-0 Coppa Italia defeat was his pass to Pervis Estupinan, who then set up Rafael Leao to miss Milan’s best chance. It was a powerful pass of over 20 metres, splitting the Lazioli’s defence in two to remind many of the great Andrea Pirlo.

While this is willing evidence enough on its own, journalist Marco Pasotto’s testimony sums up the player superbly:

“Ardon is a fighter and a master of control. While the ball is still in his path, he’s already looking up to determine whether he should protect it from the opposition or focus primarily on finding the right teammate to pass it to. He’s not physically fit, but it’s difficult to move him around. As Allegri noted, working alongside a maestro like Modric has obviously helped him, and the Swiss has all the credentials to emerge as one of the most intriguing prospects in the second half of the season.”

That previously outlined match against Lazio showed the Swiss international leaving the field with two tackles won and four duels (out of seven). He also recorded 80 successful passes out of 92 played (with only De Winter surpassing that).

In the league match against the Biancocelesti, Modric had reached 89. This, for many, shows that Jashari can perform adequately in that deep-lying, tempo-dictating role. Allegri clearly has an extra weapon in the heart of the pitch, and one that could be particularly intriguing alongside both Modric and Adrien Rabiot – especially in comparison with Youssouf Fofana.