Milan winger Samu Castillejo confirms Gennaro Gattuso “experiences football like when he played it” and calls Gonzalo Higuain “an incredible person”.
The Spaniard started as a false-nine against Sassuolo at the weekend, and scored his first goal for the club in a 4-1 win.
“Higuain was injured and [Patrick] Cutrone had some problems with his ankle, so the Coach asked me if I’d ever played in that role,” Castillejo explained to Sky.
Milan winger Samu Castillejo confirms Gennaro Gattuso “experiences football like when he played it” and calls Gonzalo Higuain “an incredible person”.
The Spaniard started as a false-nine against Sassuolo at the weekend, and scored his first goal for the club in a 4-1 win.
“Higuain was injured and [Patrick] Cutrone had some problems with his ankle, so the Coach asked me if I’d ever played in that role,” Castillejo explained to Sky.
“It was actually the first time I’d played there, but the important thing is that it all went well. It was a difficult game and we won against a good side.
“The boss [Gattuso] is a very particular man, he experiences football like when he played it. He never stops in training, and also off the pitch he makes you feel wanted and a part of the squad.
“He jokes with us, but he’s helped me a lot.”
Castillejo may have replaced Higuain up-front, but he’s hoping to see Pipita back on the pitch soon.
“Apart from everything he represents as a player, he’s an incredible person off the pitch. He’s always able to laugh and joke with his teammates, he’s a unique player and we see his quality in training every day.
“He knows how important he is for us and we’re happy to be working with him every day. Of course he’ll be a bit frustrated at the moment because he hasn’t played the last two games, but he’s recovered now and he trained with us today.”
None other than club legend Paolo Maldini said Castillejo could be the surprise of the season…
“Maldini’s words filled me with pride and joy, even just for the fact he was the one saying them,” the Spaniard confessed.
“For a player who came from outside to hear those words from a champion like him means a lot. I’ll always give everything for this club to confirm his words.”