AC Milan midfielder Rade Krunic has revealed that he is happy with the new position he has seemingly taken up as a playmaker.
After an abundance of rumours throughout the summer that Krunic was set to leave the club – with SC Freiburg and Torino heavily linked in particular – the Bosnia international ended up staying.
Krunic has been impressive in the glimpses that we have seen of him so far, even scoring his first goal for the club during last week’s 3-1 win over Celtic in Scotland.
The 27-year-old spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon who were gathered in the press room at Milanello, with the questions from reporters and Krunic’s answers transcribed by MilanNews.
Were you pleased with Paolo Maldini’s words of trust?
“Yes, certainly. I am very happy with these words from Paolo and the whole club, but also with the coach, who said he is counting on me. For me it means a lot, after last year in which I had so many injuries and I was not as good as I expected and the others were expecting too. But they see me that they still believe a lot in me and that I can still give a lot to Milan. “
Do you feel comfortable as a playmaker and can it be the right role for you?
“I certainly like this role too, because I played in that position before at Empoli. In theory my favourite role is as a central midfielder, but in this formation there is none. I can play both playmaker and midfielder, with different characteristics to the other players. Any role is fine for me, I’m always available for Milan.”
How important was Pioli’s arrival and what does he ask you to do on the pitch?
“The coach always asks for the best from everyone, including myself. I’m a professional, I always give my best when I enter. I put determination and commitment in every match. I think the coach has faith in me. His arrival was important for me. I didn’t play at the beginning. He put me on the pitch, even as a starter. If I stayed here it’s certainly thanks to him.”
What game do you expect tomorrow and what are the main differences between the league and the Europa League?
“We have a difficult game ahead of us, against a team that we haven’t analysed well yet, but we’ll do it between today and tomorrow. We don’t know so well the European teams we play against in the Europa League. In Serie A we all know each other, more or less. This is a difference. We hope to win tomorrow and have a good start in this group with 6 points. “
Do you like this new role entrusted by Pioli?
“I like it, because I’m closer to scoring, as I showed in Glasgow. It’s not my best feature, but I can give something in that position too. It depends on the approach of the match, and what needs to be done.”
What do you know about Sparta Prague?
“So far we have seen little, but the coach said that they are an intelligent team, that plays with a lot of pace and that it will not be easy to play against them. We too have these characteristics. In the evening and tomorrow we will prepare well for the match, because we haven’t had a long time to do it having played on Monday.”
