Tommaso Pobega, who recently signed a five-year contract renewal with Milan, reflected on his preparations last season and his conversations with coach Stefano Pioli.
The 23-year-old Italian midfielder officially put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the Rossoneri yesterday, confirming his long-term future at the club. A Milan youth product, Pobega spent last season on loan with Torino, where he impressed individually and proved himself ready for Pioli’s first team.
Speaking to Milan’s media outlets, Pobega first looked back at his season on loan with Torino and how it helped his development.
“I did all the summer preparation with Milan, I went on the bench on the first day however I needed another step to grow further.
“I was lucky enough to go to Torino, I found a good environment and a coach who gave me confidence. I came back here after a season in which I proved myself.”
He touched on how it felt to receive a call-up to Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad.
“For me it is always a pleasure and an honour to go there. The debut against Germany was a great emotion, it’s not easy to explain.
“The national team is always the national team. I have goals and I hope to achieve them with the Azzurri as well.”
The 23-year-old spoke about his positive relationship with teammate Sandro Tonali.
“We have a good relationship. We know each other from last year, it’s a pleasure to play with him.”
Pobega felt good working with the Milan squad ahead of the upcoming season.
“They made a very positive impression on me, you can see that there is a great desire to work and train and do things the right way.
“I found a squad that has grown so much in awareness, everyone has added something to their arsenal.”
He revealed which teammate in particular he was keen to get to know better.
“One person I was curious to get to know better last year and found again this year is Maignan. He had made a good impression on me right away, he has great charisma, I came back and saw that player again.”
The 23-year-old reflected on some conversations he had with Pioli last season.
“Before going on loan to Torino, I spoke to Pioli. He confided in me that he thought it was the right choice, I would go to an environment where I could grow. The coach was keen to tell me to work to then return here to Milan.
“I am sure that if I listen to him and follow his directions I will grow a lot more because he has already shown that he is a very good coach. I only have to learn.”
Finally, Pobega discussed some of his goals now with Milan.
“My goal is to grow and improve in all aspects. Obviously, as a team, we want to be satisfied. I am very clear about what I want, so out of superstition I’ll keep it to myself, but I will work hard to try to achieve these goals.”
Impressive last season, good attitude, Looking forward to seeing him play for Milan this season. He won’t start every game obviously but nice to see a guy come back from lo.an and be given a chance.