It took Mike Maignan very little time to become an undisputed starter for AC Milan and also to become a fan favourite as he continues to show his importance.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (via MilanNews) writes how there is also another very important aspect of Maignan’s game which is proving to be very useful and very important for Stefano Pioli’s approach: he is very good at distributing the ball, so much so that he can often create dangerous attacks.
The best example is the assist for Rafael Leao in the 1-0 win over Sampdoria a few weeks back, when he pinged a perfect 70-metre ball for the Portuguese winger who controlled it and then beat the Sampdoria goalkeeper.
Maignan is also important in the short build-up play, so much so that his team-mates often pass the ball to him not because they do not know what to do with the ball themselves but because they know they have a goalkeeper who is almost a regista.
In modern football, we know that keepers can’t just be good with just their hands and Maignan is certainly the perfect example of one who can do both.