Ruben Loftus-Cheek underlined how he and former Chelsea teammate Christian Pulisic are ‘hungry’ to ‘make the most of this opportunity’ with Milan.
The English midfielder is one of seven new players to sign for the Rossoneri this summer, arriving in a deal worth around €20m total from the Blues.
Milan have been one of the most active teams in the summer transfer window and have wasted no time reinvesting after selling Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United for circa €80m total.
Speaking in a press conference via MilanNews, Loftus-Cheek discussed his first impressions of life with Milan.
“Arriving in a new country, a new language, is always a challenge. I must say that my teammates, especially those who speak English well and who already I knew, they are helping me a lot to overcome this ‘first barrier’. I feel really good, I’m in the right place.”
He spoke about his work with coach Stefano Pioli.
“In recent weeks we’ve been learning to do what he asks of us, he wants a very aggressive and offensive football, a fluid manoeuvre.
“We want the ball at our feet, we have the qualities to build up as much as we do, like the coach asks, the more we play, the more we manage to refine the movements and the feeling between us.”
The Englishman commented on Milan’s pre-season tour in the United States.
“I’ve been to Los Angeles before, while it’s my first time in Las Vegas and I hope to carve out some time to see the city.
“These days we realized that the people are incredible and passionate, and it’s not something you expect in a country where football is not the most popular sport.
“The crowd is noisy, the stadiums very hot, especially the one we’re going to play in is incredible, I’ve just seen it.”
He gave his thoughts on their pre-season friendlies.
“I’m sorry we didn’t win the previous two matches, but in any case both matches left us with many positive ideas to work on.
“I think we played well against both Real Madrid and Juventus, this stage of the season must allow us to accumulate minutes together, to grow, to increase the feeling between us.
“Against Barcelona we will have a great opportunity to do well, we are aware that we can play an excellent match.”
Loftus-Cheek spoke about his desire to find the back of the net more.
“In 2018-19 I scored 10 goals for Chelsea with Sarri on the bench, because I occupied a more forward position, and this allowed me to be more present in the penalty area.
“Then, due to some injuries and the fact having played further back, I lost the feeling with the goal a bit, but this year I have the opportunity to go back to playing as I like, and I hope to score more.”
Finally, Loftus-Cheek discussed his move from Chelsea to Milan, something shared by Pulisic.
“Chris and I come from the same club, Chelsea, and I find it nice to be able to be together again. We are hungry, we have the opportunity to play in a new country and for a very important club. We hope we can make the most of this opportunity.”