On the eve of AC Milan’s clash with Manchester City during their American tour, head coach Paulo Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimovic shared their thoughts and aspirations for the team. Fonseca, speaking from New Jersey, was clear about his vision for Milan (as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport): “I can guarantee 100% that you will see an offensive Milan that dominates matches, quickly recovers the ball, and makes its fans proud.” He added, “Pulisic can play as a number 10, even though we also have Loftus in that position. Our defensive approach will be different from last season. I don’t want to make comparisons, but we need to improve if we want to win.”
The press conference, held ahead of the match against Manchester City, also featured comments from Giorgio Furlani and Ibrahimovic, with Pulisic sharing his thoughts as well. Ibrahimovic, when asked about his son Maximilian, hesitated briefly before responding: “I have two different answers as a father and as a manager… It’s not easy for him; he has to earn everything. As long as he is happy, I will support him 100%. I hope he achieves his dreams, and I will judge him as I do everyone else.”
On the topic of transfers, Furlani commented on the potential signing of Pavlovic: “I won’t respond directly to that, but I want to say that we are not in a hurry. This year we can be patient; there is time until the end of August.”
Ibrahimovic also spoke about Alvaro Morata, saying, “I told him that Milan is an ideal place. The number 9 position is the best we had available, and he will have players like Pulisic, Rafa Leao, and Chukwueze around him. We want to make him happy so he can perform at his best. I don’t know a player here who isn’t happy; you just need to focus on football. We are super confident and super happy to welcome him with open arms.” He added about his own role, “I want to be the thirteenth player on the field. The twelfth is the fans, and I am the thirteenth.”
Christian Pulisic, a fan favorite on the East Coast, expressed his excitement about playing in front of family and friends: “It’s an honor to play here. Tomorrow, my family and friends will be here, which is something that rarely happens in Italy. Am I the face of Milan? I don’t see myself as the face of anything; I just play football.”
