Madelón opens door to Augusto Solari in Unión's final test v Ben Hur | OneFootball

The friendly against Ben Hur left a result that quickly took a back seat because of one name that especially drew attention: Augusto Solari. The midfielder, who had been sidelined by decision of Leonardo Madelón at the start of the Clausura Tournament, shared the field with his teammates again and made his first football appearance of the semester.

Solari came on in the second half in place of Ignacio Malcorra to play on the left flank. A change that, given the context, ended up being far more significant than any move typical of a trial run. Until now, the Tatengue coach had firmly maintained the decision not to count on either Solari or Franco Fragapane, who had been training separately since the start of the tournament. The situation had even led the club’s board to try to find a contractual exit for both, although the negotiations did not move forward.

A pardon in the works for the midfielder?

The surprising appearance of Solari against Ben Hur raises an unavoidable question in the Unión world: has the head coach changed his stance? While this match may simply have been an opportunity to give minutes to a player who belongs to the club, it also opens up the possibility that Madelón has decided to lift the punishment on the midfielder.

There is one important fact: Unión do not have a squad overflowing with options, especially when it comes to finding solutions and creativity on the wings. In that scenario, recovering Solari’s experience could represent a highly valuable alternative for the decisive stage of the championship.

Opposite realities

Unlike Solari, the situation of Franco Fragapane remains frozen and unchanged. The winger did not take part in the informal session and is still completely out of the coaching staff’s plans, so this rapprochement appears to be an exclusive benefit for the former Racing and River player.

Unión’s next challenge will be against Boca Juniors on Friday at La Bombonera. Only then, when Madelón names the squad, will there be a clearer sign of whether the door has been left open for Solari for good or whether this was only a temporary trial.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.