AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has explained his evolution as a player since arriving in Italy three years ago from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Turkey international spoke to Carlo Pellegatti exclusively for StarCasinò Sport, and his words were transcribed by MilanNews.
“The first year I arrived in Milan and the previous six months I hadn’t played, it was very difficult for me to come back physically,” he revealed.
“I had to learn the Italian language and football which is very different from the Bundesliga.
“The second year I improved a bit with Rino, I learned even more the language. The third year is my year, I have great confidence.
“Pioli? A very important person for me and for the team, he is a coach who listens, wants to know what the players think. I play in my role, in the role I prefer.
“We are all happy that Milan has renewed, also it is not easy for him, there were many voices but he is a great professional, he only thought of the team to bring it as high as possible, we also played for him.
“I have great confidence because they believe in my qualities and I show them on the field, so we do well all together.
On the differences between Serie A and the Bundesliga, he explained: “I like playing in Serie A, there are many quality players, many strong teams. In the Bundesliga there is Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen. Here there are many strong teams, this is the difference.”
