Dovbyk has six games to win over Palladino at Bologna

Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk is struggling to settle at Bologna, who took him on loan from Roma with a buy option set at 15 million euros. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, citing La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoblu are considering ending the loan early and returning him to Roma if he does not respond over the next six games, including the Coppa Italia.

In eleven Serie A matchdays he has managed only 105 minutes and one goal, the winner against Sassuolo, and across his last five appearances he has played just seven minutes in total. His recovery has not been simple either: after the injury suffered against Lecce, which required surgery, he suffered a muscle relapse in the friendly against Ascoli.

Vice-president Claudio Fenucci is backing him: “The lad has quality and has shown it. I think he needs to regain confidence, because it is more a mental problem than a technical or physical one.” Raffaele Palladino, after the win over Cagliari, was more demanding: “He has to show me something more.” Meanwhile, Bologna will keep an eye on Northern Ireland-Ukraine to see whether the striker finds minutes with his national team.