Ex-Milan midfielder Riccardo Montolivo said Sandro Tonali ‘has everything to become a great midfielder’ and stressed he ‘must not be in a hurry’.
The former Brescia youngster moved to the Rossoneri over the summer and has struggled to split up midfield duo Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie at San Siro.
But Montolivo, who spent seven seasons at the Diavolo, said the 20-year-old should ‘think long term’.
Ex-Milan midfielder Riccardo Montolivo said Sandro Tonali ‘has everything to become a great midfielder’ and stressed he ‘must not be in a hurry’.
The former Brescia youngster moved to the Rossoneri over the summer and has struggled to split up midfield duo Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie at San Siro.
But Montolivo, who spent seven seasons at the Diavolo, said the 20-year-old should ‘think long term’.
“He’s a player with great prospects, he has everything to become a great midfielder,” Montolivo said to SkySport24.
“He’s very young and the leap from a small team to a big team is not easy. His introduction is slow because Milan are doing very well and, in the middle, Bennacer and Kessie are a perfect couple.
“Tonali must not be in a hurry, he must think long term, he doesn’t have to work to be a starter at Milan now, but to become one for the next 10 years.
“You need patience and unfortunately there’s little of it in football.”
Tonali, capped four times by Italy, has started two games in Serie A so far this term, appearing five times in total for the Rossoneri.