Ange-Yoan Bonny is making the most of limited opportunities at Inter Milan, scoring twice in around 145 minutes this season and registering a goal every 73 minutes.
The 22-year-old was again decisive despite Inter’s 4-3 defeat by Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bonny came on in the 78th minute for Nicolo Barella, shortly after Simone Inzaghi’s side switched to a 3-4-3 formation, and scored in added time after weaving past several opponents.
His contribution had begun before the goal. Within minutes of arriving, Bonny helped create Inter’s second, making a horizontal run to open space for Lautaro Martinez to finish.
Against a compact Brugge defence, the Ivorian’s physical strength and willingness to take on defenders gave Inter an alternative to the team’s usual attacking approach.
La Gazzetta dello Sport awarded Bonny a rating of seven and described him as “skilful and full of composure” for his finish. The Italian newspaper also captured his changing status with the assessment: “He is improving rapidly and is demanding more space.”
Lee Han-beom, in particular, was reported to have struggled against the former Parma player.
That physical presence was also one of the qualities that attracted the attention of Cote d’Ivoire. When Bonny joined the Elephants, he was viewed as a genuine centre-forward who could play with his back to goal and provide a profile the national team had previously lacked.
Bonny has now scored twice this season, at a rate of one goal every 73 minutes. However, all seven of his appearances have come from the bench. His challenge is to make an impact with restricted opportunities behind the partnership of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
Both of his goals have come in open matches, meaning his wider influence over a longer period remains to be established. Even so, Bonny’s ability to replace either member of Inter’s attacking pair, or play alongside them, gives the club several tactical possibilities.
The need for regular involvement also matters to Cote d’Ivoire, where Bonny is still competing for a permanent place in a strong group of attacking options.
He has yet to start a match this season. But by consistently making his substitute appearances count, Bonny is at least forcing Inter to consider whether he should be given a greater role.