Hauge discusses ‘radical change’ since joining Milan and confirms ‘dialogue’ with club over future

AC Milan winger Jens Petter Hauge has stressed his desire to fight for a place in the team, but revealed he will talk to the club about his future.

Hauge arrived at San Siro for a Europa League qualifier against Milan for Bodo/Glimt and by the end of the night we had reported exclusively about Milan’s interest in the Norwegian youngster as he scored a thunderbolt in a 3-2 defeat.

Since then he has scored five goals in all competitions including three in the Europa League which earned the team six points in the process. However, he has also had some tough patches including being excluded from the Europa League squad for the knockout stages, leading to plenty of speculation that he could leave on loan.

Speaking to the microphones of the Norwegian channel TV2, Hauge talked about his experience with the Rossoneri so far and about his future, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews and translated below.

“First of all, now I will recover and prepare for the meeting with the national team. Then I will probably take a little vacation before starting the talks with Milan. Because it is a dialogue that must at least be set up,” he said.

“I’m ready to go back there and fight for a starting position but if the club has other intentions then I’ll decide what to do. First of all, I want to be part of a team and contribute to it, not just in training.”

On the choice to go to Milan: “It has been a very long season where a lot has happened and there have been a lot of emotions. When you then have some time to think about how big the step I actually took was, in the end I am incredibly happy with the season and the choice I made.”

On what his move to Milan taught him: “It was a radical change of life for me both in everyday life and in the way I train and in playing with some of the greatest footballers in the world. Milan is an incredible club and Milano is a city that thrives on football and where the football means almost everything.

“It taught me a lot. Looking at how things have gone this year, I feel I have shown myself to a whole new level and have demonstrated my qualities.”

On Ibrahimovic: “He’s an incredible player. He sets standards I didn’t even think were possible. There is quality in everything he does and he helps the rest of the team a lot.”

On his targets: “I am very happy with what I have done in recent years. It lets me know that if I do things right, I will know how to get up. As long as I am mentally ready to accept to work hard, I am sure that I will take advantage of the opportunity when I have it.”

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