Kamaldeen Sulemana made his first competitive appearance of the 2026/27 season on Thursday, coming off the bench in Atalanta’s 2-2 draw with Fiorentina after spending nearly three months recovering from a knee injury.
The Ghanaian winger came on for Nicola Zalewski in the 84th minute at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. His return arrived 82 days after he was hurt during Atalanta’s pre-season friendly against Schalke 04 on 8 August.
Sulemana missed the opening weeks of the campaign with a grade-two medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in his left knee. Atalanta confirmed the diagnosis in an official medical report on 11 August and stated that he would start his rehabilitation programme the following day.
Squad return as Atalanta deal with attacking absences
Maurizio Sarri named Sulemana in Atalanta’s 20-man squad for the trip to Florence. In a report on 28 October, ANSA noted that the winger had returned to the group alongside defender Giorgio Scalvini, who had also been sidelined by an injury, and confirmed it was Sulemana’s first competitive matchday selection of the season.
The same report listed forwards Gianluca Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori among several players unavailable for the fixture. Those absences left Sarri with fewer options in attack, making Sulemana’s return useful as the club looks to increase its choices over the coming weeks. His pace and ability to carry the ball offer Atalanta a different attacking outlet in wide areas.
Still, a brief appearance against Fiorentina is only a first step back into competitive football. After such a long spell out, Sulemana is not immediately ready for a starting role and will need time to build his match fitness.
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How the draw in Florence unfolded
Atalanta took a 41st-minute lead when Charles De Ketelaere finished after combining with Zalewski. Fiorentina turned the score around after the break, as Alieu Njie equalised in the 53rd minute before João Mário put the hosts ahead eight minutes later.
Zalewski brought Atalanta level in the 74th minute by cutting inside and finding the net. Sulemana then replaced him ten minutes later as the visitors held on for a point.
How quickly Sulemana takes on a larger role for Sarri’s side will depend on his recovery and his progress in training. Atalanta’s next step will be to manage his minutes as he works back towards full match fitness.
