Malick Thiaw should be back in the starting line-up for AC Milan tomorrow against Cremonese, with his market value continuing to rise.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall how Thiaw made his first start for Milan against the same opponent earlier in the season during the 0-0 draw that took place at the Stadio Giovanni Zini.
Pioli was without Davide Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi and so he decided to use Thiaw on the right, but during most phases of the game he was essentially on the right of a three-man defence.
Five months later, at San Siro tomorrow night he will be a starter again, this time in a central position alongside Pierre Kalulu. A lot has changed since then, such as the German keeping Harry Kane quiet in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Tottenham.
Pioli has always publicly stated how good Thiaw is but without betting much on him, though he has now made 18 appearances between Serie A and the Champions League.
When he played as a starter, the Diavolo only lost against Fiorentina (2-1) and Udinese (3-1), both away from home. Tomorrow he should get the nod at the Meazza, where Milan are yet to lose when he starts.
In the meantime Thiaw – who cost €7m including bonuses – is now worth more than double what he was signed for and it appears to be another nice bit of business by Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara.
Thiaw is already awesome… it’s scary to think how better he can get with experience.