At Milanello, Theo Hernandez spoke to the press about his move to the Rossoneri, and the impact that Maldini had in making the move a reality.
On his arrival at Milan: “I’m very happy to be here. It’s very nice to be here, I was very well received. I’m serene, I hope I can play many games.”
On Maldini: “I’m proud to be sitting next to him. For me, he is the greatest left-back ever. I saw him in Ibiza, we talked, and I expressed a willingness to play for Milan. Milan is a historic club, and here I can grow a lot.”
On the Ibiza meeting: “It was a pleasant meeting with Maldini. I can’t say what we said, but it was a pleasant meeting.”
On his idols: “As a child, I was inspired by Paolo Maldini, in the last few years I also liked Marcelo, who gave me a lot of advice at Real. I observed him a lot and if I’m here he is also to thank.”
On Milan: “It’s a historic club, it has a great tradition, and it has a positive image abroad. When I was at Real, I said that I wanted to play in a historic club like Milan.”
On Modric: “I haven’t heard anything, and even if I had heard something, I wouldn’t be able to say anything anyway (smiles).”
On the future of Milan: “Real is exceptional, but now I’m here in another exceptional club. I’m here to work and play all the games to the fullest. We hope to win a lot together and make the fans happy.”
On the words of Maldini: “When someone like Maldini says I can become one of the best full-backs in the world, I get excited. It’s important to work now and try to always improve.”
On the defensive phase: “I’m also here to learn to defend better. I’m young and have a lot of time to grow.”
On Real Madrid: “In Madrid, there are so many quality players, but here there are too. Here I can give so much in terms of speed, long-range shooting and dribbling, but I’m also here to improve my defending.”