AC Milan defender Davide Calabria has discussed the exits of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu as well as other renewals.
Calabria recently renewed his contract with Milan, something that neither Donnarumma nor Calhanoglu did, and he was interviewed by il Corriere dello Sport about their farewells.
“Gigio? Let’s remain friends, even if our careers have taken two different paths. In this story there are things we don’t know: everyone has made their choices and He has his responsibilities,” he said (via MilanNews).
“If it was right for his career to go to PSG we’ll see. When you make a decision like that it’s because you believe it’s the best for your growth path. It’s a respectable choice. Everyone wants the best for you. himself and if he has it, I’ll be happy. Of course, I’m sorry not to see him again at Milanello.
“Calha at Inter? Also in this case I don’t know the dynamics of the negotiation and I don’t like to comment on the choices of others. If he thought it was right, he did well to go to Inter. I wish him the best and I will be happy to see him again in the derby, but rest assured that I will give everything to beat him.”
One man who did renew his contract is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as he will stay at least until the end of the upcoming season which will see him move into his 40s. The Swede has been largely credited as being instrumental in the team’s turnaround since January 2020, and Calabria stressed his importance.
“As long as we had him, we were ahead. Ibra is a champion and I hope he will come back as soon as possible because he had an unpleasant injury. When he got hurt, in November, we held out for a while, but in the long run we missed him. had he played all the time, we would certainly have scored more points because it’s not easy for the defenders to face him.”
Another leader of the Milan dressing room is undoubtedly Franck Kessie, who is also in negotiations for the renewal of his contract, with Calabria reaffirming just how vital he is for the team.
“I have a wonderful relationship with Franck and I hope he will find an agreement for the extension. We were both expiring in 2022: I sorted everything out quickly and now it’s his turn. Kessie is essential for the team and Milan is one of the most important clubs in the world: I hope to have him again as a partner.”
Finally, the Rossoneri full-back was asked for a general assessment on how he expects the upcoming campaign to go, given that Milan are coming back after their best finish since the 2011-12 campaign with a return to the Champions League also secured.
“The team must carry on a growth process and this year a new step awaits us as we will play in the Champions League and we will have other top level matches. How the league will go will also be determined by injuries and many other factors impossible to predict.”
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Yeah, a real man is talking! He stressed that “Milan is one of the most important clubs in d world,” reminding Kessie of what it means to play for this team. I hope he does renew and doesn’t go astray. Forza AC MILAN!❤️
Calabria is a true rossoneri. A young man who was born with red-black heart. Our future cap!