Former Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani says Yacine Adli is not ‘beautiful to see’ but is ‘extremely efficient’ in Milan‘s central midfield.
Adli scored his first goal in 21 appearances for Milan on Sunday, giving the Rossoneri an early lead in their 3-1 victory over Roma at San Siro.
The French midfielder has moved up Stefano Pioli’s pecking order in 2023-24 and was praised by the Italian tactician during a post-match press conference last night.
Former Lazio goalkeeper Marchegiani was also impressed by Adli’s performance against Roma: “He’s not beautiful to see, but he’s extremely efficient,” the ex-Italy international said during Sky Sport Italia’s post-match show.
“He is a little unbalanced forward when he runs, so he’s not aesthetically nice and doesn’t seem as tidy as he actually is with the ball. However, he ran a lot and was decisive in the first half against Roma, so I really liked him.”
Adli completed a €10m transfer from Milan to Bordeaux in the summer of 2021 but spent a season on loan in France before returning to the Stadio Meazza in 2022.
He only collected six appearances for the Rossoneri last term, playing 140 minutes. The Frenchman’s fortunes at the Stadio Meazza changed last summer when he accepted to play as a deep-lying playmaker rather than as an attacking midfielder.
The 23-year-old’s playing time has increased this season as he’s been involved in 15 Milan matches across all competitions, playing 760 minutes.