Kalulu praises key Milan duo and admits French influence has brought him ‘stability

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu has described Zlatan Ibrahimovic as ‘fundamental’ to the squad and also praised his compatriot Olivier Giroud.

After playing mostly as a right-back in his debut season for the Rossoneri but generally struggling for opportunities, Kalulu was thrown into action as a centre-back in the 2021-22 campaign because of a mid-season injury crisis, and he certainly delivered.

The Frenchman demonstrated his best qualities in that position partnering with Fikayo Tomori, as the pair ensured that Milan ended the season with 9 clean sheets in the final 11 league games of the campaign, only conceding twice in that stretch.

Kalulu spoke during an interview with the French source Telefoot and he was asked about his emotions after the Scudetto win, the heavy French influence in the squad and playing alongside Ibrahimovic.

“When we celebrated the title on the streets of Milan I really understood the importance and influence of the club. It’s huge. There are many people who don’t realise it,” he said (via MilanNews).

On Zlatan: “Ibra is fundamental, he is also what brought us here. Although he didn’t play much in the second half of the season, he helped us a lot. The opponent feels fear when he enters the field. They are worried.”

On the many French players in the squad: “I can say that we are not out of place. They have definitely brought me stability.”

On Giroud: “Olivier is a world champion. We work every day to get to those levels. I’m a young boy, I used many of these players on my PlayStation.”

Tags AC Milan Olivier Giroud Pierre Kalulu Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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