Tijjani Reijnders is ready for the European Championship with the Netherlands, and he has spoken about his first season at AC Milan which has helped him adapt to pressure.
Milan signed Reijnders for around €20m plus bonuses from AZ Alkmaar last summer and he immediately established himself as one of the fixed pillars of a new-look midfield after Sandro Tonali’s sale to Newcastle United.
Reijnders has no intention of slowing down despite a demanding season with Milan in which he played 50 times and started 44 of those games across Serie A, the Coppa Italia, the Champions League and the Europa League.
Now, Germany awaits for the 25-year-old and the Oranje will be up against Austria, France and Poland in their group. Reijnders has already shown his qualities with the national team after making his debut in September last year, but there is naturally more pressure now.
Speaking yesterday at a press conference from the Dutch national team’s training camp ahead of the tournament, Reijnders commented on his first season at Milan and what it means to feel expectations.
“At the beginning it takes a bit of time to get used to and adapt. In reality, it was immediately clear to me what my role in the group at Milan and what they expected from me. I managed to do it well this season, we were helped a lot by the people who work at Milan,” he said (via MilanNews).
“If you play for Holland or Milan it’s normal for there to be pressure. It’s a kind of habit. You always want to perform for yourself and for the fans. I hope I can continue the trend this season.”
