How many Napoli games Gilmour will miss and Conte’s three options in midfield

Billy Gilmour is expected to miss at least 15 games for Napoli, as the Scotland international may undergo surgery in the coming days, leaving Antonio Conte with just three players available in central midfield.

Napoli are going through an injury crisis, particularly in midfield, where Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa and Gilmour have been ruled out for months.

Gilmour sustained a groin injury during a 0-0 draw against Como earlier in November, and according to the latest reports, he might undergo surgery, keeping him out of action for two months.

As highlighted by Gazzetta, this means Gilmour will miss at least 15 more games for Napoli.

Anguissa won’t return before the end of January due to a high-grade lesion to the femoral bicep in the left thigh. De Bruyne also has a thigh injury and will be sidelined until February or even March.

In the current scenario, Conte can only rely on three fit central midfielders until the start of the January transfer window.

Scott McTominay, Stanislav Lobotka and Eljif Elmas are the only options for Conte in the middle of the park, and the Italian coach will necessarily need to rotate with seven games across all competitions before the end of the year.

Conte already switched to a three-man defence, playing McTominay and Lobotka in central midfield against Atalanta and Qarabag.

As reported by Gazzetta, Conte can also deploy the two midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation or in a 4-3-3, adding Elmas as well. Currently, however, a three-man defence gives the Partenopei more defensive protection, so it’s hard to imagine Conte returning to a four-man defence against Roma on Sunday.

Last but not least, Napoli will predictably need to sign a new central midfielder in the winter transfer window and Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo has already emerged as a top priority target for the Partenopei.