Gustav Isaksen returns to Lazio-Monza with a familiar task: turning a difficult recovery into a new beginning. The Danish winger is expected to start after an encouraging international break, with Rino Gattuso short of options following the absences of Matteo Cancellieri and Albert Gudmundsson.
It will be Isaksen’s second start of the season after the match in Udine. He has made only 160 minutes in total so far, including a three-minute appearance at Venezia before the break, but his work with Denmark suggested that his sharpness is beginning to return.
A long route back to fitness
The 24-year-old has had to rebuild more than once over the past two years. Mononucleosis interrupted him in 2025, leaving him unable to train for two weeks and uncertain when he would resume his normal routine. In June, he then underwent surgery for pubalgia and missed Lazio’s entire pre-season programme.
Isaksen has acknowledged that the missed preparation may have contributed to his slow opening to the campaign. His early displays lacked the explosiveness usually associated with his game, but he feels he is steadily recovering his condition.
Gattuso has tried to keep the winger patient. From the beginning, the Lazio coach urged him not to force his return, to pay attention to physical signals and to prioritise recovery. Isaksen, however, has been eager to accelerate the process.
The player has said that conversations with Gattuso have been constructive, explaining that the coach has told him to take the time required to be fully ready. Isaksen hopes that, once he has won back a regular place, he can play far more frequently.
Denmark offer the first signs
His international minutes came in a carefully managed sequence: 15 minutes against Norway, 76 against Wales, 45 against Portugal and 82 in the second meeting with Wales. Denmark coach Brian Riemer had warned that Isaksen was not yet ready to complete 90 minutes and needed to be handled with care.
Yet the winger made a meaningful impact. He scored against Wales in the first match after another effort had been ruled out, then won a penalty and created a goal in the return fixture.
Isaksen admitted that he resisted the idea of coming off in the latest game. He told Riemer that he still had energy and wanted to continue until he had nothing left, believing it was better to use his final reserves than save them. He stayed on and subsequently earned the penalty.
Gattuso had concerns that the international workload might leave him depleted on his return to Formello, although he said he had found the returning internationals in good shape. Lazio-Monza will provide the real answer.
Another opportunity under Gattuso
Isaksen’s Lazio career has already included difficult spells under Maurizio Sarri and Igor Tudor, when he found himself quickly out of favour. He has previously identified Marco Baroni as the coach who helped him most, praising the former Lazio manager’s willingness to explain both his good decisions and his mistakes.
Communication, he said, gave him confidence. Gattuso’s approach has so far been similarly patient, even if the coach now needs a response from a player whose pace and powerful stride can change the rhythm of an afternoon when he is fully fit.
For Lazio, the Monza fixture is not simply an emergency selection problem created by injuries. It is an opening for Isaksen to show that the summer interruption and restrained start are behind him. A goal would be the clearest sign that another recovery has reached its next stage.
