AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has given another in-depth interview about a number of topics, including Gianluigi Donnarumma’s future and the new stadium project.
Milan have only lost twice in the league this calendar year and both of those came last season, with the Rossoneri currently sat on top of the Serie A table by five points with an unbeaten league run which now stretches to 22 games.
Scaroni gave a long interview to Rai in which he began by talking about these very positive months for Stefano Pioli’s team.
“I never imagined such a stellar performance by Milan, even if I expected a team that could do better than last year. The application of our model took time,” he said (via MilanLive).
Scaroni added that Elliott Management Corporation have no intention of selling the club in the near future, again pouring cold water on speculation over the last few months that buyers are circling including Louis Vuitton group owner Bernard Arnault.
“The Elliott fund has invested a lot, covering almost record-breaking losses. I don’t see any short-term plans [to sell], on the contrary I feel reassured by the fact that the Elliott fund will continue to be at our side.”
He is also satisfied with the work being done in every sector of the club, especially by CEO Ivan Gazidis.
“The secret of the team lies in the strategy designed by Gazidis with Maldini on input from Elliott. We have the youngest team in Europe and on this basis we have included experienced players like Ibrahimovic, but not only. The project involves the construction of a team that wins and is also economically sustainable.”
Scaroni heaped praise upon Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who at 39 years of age continues to be a fundamental element for the group.
“He is more than a player, he is an icon, a unique character in the world of football today. He seems like a supplement that is not addictive but gives incredible strength when he is there,” he said.
“It’s a great success that Milan continues to perform well even without Ibra, but I can’t wait for him to come back because I’m sure Milan will do even better with him.
“Continuing with him was the best solution. When will he be back? I don’t know, a muscle tear takes roughly a month, but in his case Ibra has such a crazy physique that he could surprise us.”
On the renewal of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Scaroni expressed confidence: “I do not follow the negotiations directly, but I was very pleased to hear him say that he loves Milan. I can say that love is reciprocated and when we love each other in this way there are the conditions to go on together.”
The president did however cool down any talk that this is a team ready to go on and win the league this season.
“I wouldn’t go that far. We are on the right track, but not yet at the end. We have not included either the Scudetto or Champions League qualification in this year’s budget, so I am not saying these words.”
