Bonny’s impact off the bench forces Inter Milan to rethink his role

Ange-Yoan Bonny is beginning to demand a bigger role at Inter Milan after continuing to make an impression with limited opportunities, despite being unable to prevent Tuesday’s 4-3 Champions League defeat by Club Bruges.

The Cote d’Ivoire international came on in the 78th minute for Nicolo Barella, as Inter switched to a 3-4-3 formation. He then scored in stoppage time, weaving past defenders before completing a solo run.

Bonny had already influenced Inter’s second goal, creating space with a horizontal run that helped Lautaro Martinez find the net. Against a compact Club Bruges defence, the 22-year-old’s strength and willingness to take on opponents gave his side a different attacking option.

La Gazzetta dello Sport awarded him a rating of 7 and praised him as “skillful and full of composure” for his finish. The Italian newspaper also captured the change in his standing with the assessment: “He is making strong progress, he is demanding space.”

Lee Han-beom was reported to have struggled particularly against the former Parma player, whose physical presence was one of the qualities that attracted the attention of Cote d’Ivoire.

When Bonny joined the Elephants, he was presented as a genuine centre-forward who could hold the ball up and provide a profile that had been missing from the national team.

He now has two goals from approximately 145 minutes of action this season, scoring once every 73 minutes. However, all seven of his appearances have come from the substitutes’ bench.

Bonny’s limited involvement means he has had to make the most of his opportunities behind Inter’s established strike partnership of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram. His goals have come in open matches, and his influence over a longer period remains to be established.

Even so, his ability to replace either member of the partnership, or play alongside them, gives Inter several tactical options. His capacity to contribute from different attacking roles could become increasingly significant if he continues to turn brief appearances into productive ones.

Regular playing time is also important for Bonny’s prospects with Cote d’Ivoire, where he is still trying to secure a lasting place in a competitive forward line.

For now, he has not started a match this season. But by repeatedly making his introductions count, Bonny is at least forcing Inter Milan to consider whether he should be given more minutes.