Fikayo Tomori noted how Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s mentality ‘aligns well’ with Milan and reflected on the recent win over Newcastle United.
The former striker recently returned to the Rossoneri, working as a consultant to owners RedBird and playing an active role in day-to-day operations at the club. His return has been much anticipated by fans, who are hoping Stefano Pioli’s squad can quickly start recovering after their shaky start.
Milan finished third in their Champions League group, dropping them down to the Europa League, and they now sit nine points behind league leaders Inter after 15 matches. Their next clash is against Monza early on Sunday.
Speaking to Sport Mediaset, Tomori first discussed Milan’s troubles with injuries this season.
“In football there are injuries, it’s part of the game. Thank God I’m fine, I hope I don’t have any injuries until the end of the season.”
He touched on the team’s performance against Newcastle this week.
“At the beginning of the season, we wanted to get through the Champions League group, now we will face the Europa League with the knowledge that we can do well.
“In Newcastle we spoke at half-time, we said to each other that we had to give everything and there was nothing left to lose. We put in a good performance in the second half and now we have to carry this spirit into the league.”
The English defender looked ahead to the Rossoneri’s coming league game against Monza.
“We’re working on staying concentrated and focused for 95 minutes, for the whole match. We’ve lost a few points lately and now we have to think about ourselves above all, rather than looking at the table.”
He was asked what gift he’d like for his 26th birthday.
“The three points on Sunday.”
Tomori discussed Ibrahimovic’s return to Milan.
“He has a winning mentality, he always wants to win and he was like that both on the pitch or when he was injured.
“I expect it will be like that this time too, it’s a mentality that aligns well with Milan. I’m happy that he will be with us again.”
Finally, Tomori spoke about his relationship with the Milan fans.
“When I arrived here, I hadn’t played for almost a year, they immediately gave me a lot of advice to improve, I feel valued, and this makes the difference for me. I feel like a Milan fan.”