Massimiliano Mirabelli defended Gianluigi Donnarumma, but warned Milan fans must “forget the fairy-tale of winning seven European Cups.”
The Rossoneri have qualified for the Europa League, but are not yet sure of sixth place, as finishing seventh would mean going through preliminary rounds starting in July.
Massimiliano Mirabelli defended Gianluigi Donnarumma, but warned Milan fans must “forget the fairy-tale of winning seven European Cups.”
The Rossoneri have qualified for the Europa League, but are not yet sure of sixth place, as finishing seventh would mean going through preliminary rounds starting in July.
“It was not easy to take on Atalanta, as they’ve been causing everyone problems, and we played in the Coppa Italia Final on Wednesday,” the director of sport told Sky Sport Italia after a 1-1 draw.
“The team put in a great performance, one worthy of Milan, even if we honestly should’ve won.”
Donnarumma made two howlers in the Coppa Italia 4-0 defeat to Juventus and again seemed shaky on the Andrea Masiello equaliser.
“We tried to protect the lad who had some problems in the Final and he will make more mistakes, because he is young. He is precious to this club and we reassured him that the future is all his.”
Considering the Rossoneri spent €200m on the transfer market, does sixth or even seventh place constitute a success?
“We had a very specific strategy over the summer, trying to sign as many players as possible to open up a new era. We are a young squad and the Milan jersey is a heavy one to carry.
“We’ve had some ups and downs, but this group will give the fans the kind of satisfaction that for various reasons we were unable to this year.
“However, we must all forget about the fairy-tale that was the Milan winning seven European Cups. That’s a whole other type of football, and now Serie A doesn’t have the kind of appeal to bring those champions here, so we had to seek out potential champions instead.”