Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini insists he ‘joked’ about meeting Liverpool and Real Madrid but admits the dynamic that led to Giorgio Scalvini’s injury was ‘not nice.’
Atalanta lost the final game of the season against Fiorentina and although it prevented La Dea from finishing third, Gasp’s men still secured a Champions League placement.
Celebrations for the recent win in the Europa League Final continued despite Sunday’s defeat, but Scalvini could not join his teammates as he had suffered a knee injury in the final minutes of the game.
Gasperini ‘joked’ about Liverpool and Real Madrid but Scalvini injury ‘not nice’
“We are waiting; he is undergoing an MRI scan right now,” Gasperini told DAZN, as quoted by TMW.
“We’ll know more in a couple of hours. The dynamic is not nice, but I hope it’s not the cruciate ligament. We’ll heal him and he’ll come back stronger than before.”
Scalvini was supposed to join his Italy teammates in Coverciano tomorrow.
Gasperini has confirmed that he will remain in charge of La Dea next season, but he will soon sit down with club directors to discuss a contract extension.
“It’s not a priority. I already have a contract and a strong bond,” said the coach.
“We have experienced incredible days and will take a short holiday. It’s been tough, but we didn’t even feel tired with these results. We’ll start thinking about the next season in a few days, beginning with a game on August 14.”
As Europa League winners, Atalanta will face Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup Final on August 14. Gasp had joked that he wanted to meet the Merengues only a few days ago.
“I was just joking, like with Liverpool. I make jokes, but then these things really happen,” he said.
The Atalanta boss had done the same after qualifying for the Europa League quarter-finals when he said he wanted to meet the Reds.
“I had been watching Real Madrid even before the result matured [in the Champions League Final],” he continued.
“Surely, we’ll think about it, it will be a sweet thought until August 14.”
What will he demand from players on the first day of pre-season?
“Don’t be fat,” he replied.
“Everyone can play football, except those who are fat. They won’t have time [to put on weight] with the Euros and other things. We’ll start again on July 10. Those who will play with the national team will get 20 more days, which will be more than deserved. Players will arrive at different times, we’ll have to adapt, but we are ready. There will be a desire to start again.”
How will Atalanta improve this summer?
“Everything can be improved, even Madrid can improve if they add Mbappé,” argued Gasp.
“The key thing is to make players fit together. We want to improve the team. Opponents will pay even more attention to us so we must improve.”