Locatelli praises Milan’s derby performance and claims there was ‘bullying’ during his time

In an interview today, former AC Milan midfielder Manuel Locatelli spoke about his time at the club and also commented on the Rossoneri’s chances in the Scudetto after the derby victory.

Locatelli’s career has been strange until this point, and he has rarely seemed to be able to reach the heights once expected of him. However, under Thiago Motta, the midfielder’s career is seeing something of a revitalisation.

In a more possession-based system, Locatelli’s better traits are being brought to life again, and there is a greater focus on him. However, it has not always been like this for the Italian midfielder, and when he was coming through at Milan, he faced some problems, even if it was difficult to leave the club.

With some of the names on the Rossoneri’s books at the time of his progression into the senior picture, it was not an easy environment to be a part of and in an interview with Tuttosport (via Calciomercato.com) he looked back on his experiences.

“I remember the first time I went to train with Allegri’s Milan first team, I was 16-17 years old, there was Kaka, Robinho and there was more bullying. Now we’re more relaxed. The important thing is that there’s never a lack of respect. It’s right to put your foot down in training, respecting the rules. But now it’s different. We older ones must demand them but within a certain range.”

The Scudetto picture…

“I believe that Inter are still the favourites, they are the most complete. But there are many good teams, like Milan who did a great derby, Napoli and we are a great team, we must not hide. But let’s take one step at a time.”