De Ketelaere admits he ‘has to improve’ at Milan but is happy with his choice

AC Milan attacker Charles De Ketelaere has admitted that he has to grow at the club but he is still happy to have chosen the Rossoneri.

Speaking during an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky Sport (via Calciomercato.com), the Belgian youngster assessed his time at Milan so far and looked ahead to the Qatar World Cup with his national team.

He joined the Rossoneri from Club Brugge in the summer transfer window after a long and drawn-out negotiation. He is only 21 and is being given time to develop by the club, but many feel he should have shown more promise in the first few months of the season than he has so far.

He admitted himself that he needs to improve as a player but stressed he is happy with the decision to make the move.

“Milan is a big step for me, I am very happy with my choice but there are many factors to consider. On a footballing level I still have to improve in many aspects, but I’m really happy to be the way I am,” De Ketelaere said.

“I think anyone who has been here knows it’s a beautiful city. Unfortunately I haven’t visited it properly yet, but I’m not here to be a tourist. I like the atmosphere, I enjoy it even if I just drive around a bit.”

Despite his lack of form for Milan, De Ketelaere has been named in the Belgium squad by Roberto Martinez for the World Cup.

“Playing for Belgium was my big dream as a child, it’s nice to have already succeeded despite being so young. At the moment in Belgium we are really lucky because we have so many world stars, quite a few players who are among the best in the world,” he said.

“We young people try to learn from them how to behave. There you realise you obviously still have steps to take and it’s nice to be able to measure yourself against such strong teammates in order to improve.”

When asked who his idol, he mentioned fellow Belgian attacker Kevin De Bruyne: “I’ve always admired Kevin De Bruyne, a bit because of the role and then because of his elegance, the way he plays football and makes everything look easy.

“Playing in the World Cup was more of a child’s dream for me, but now it has become reality. I know that to get there you have to go through performance with the club, but I will try to contribute in any case, because the most important thing is to help the team.”