AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori has spoken glowingly about Rossoneri youngsters Mattia Liberali and Lorenzo Torriani following the 1-0 friendly victory over Real Madrid.
Speaking to Milan Reports (via Pianeta Milan) after the match in Chicago, Tomori showed just how impressed he is by the young players who have been a part of the USA Tour squad under Paulo Fonseca.
Liberali played a starring role against Real Madrid and set up the only goal of the game which was scored by Samuel Chukwueze.
Torriani played the full 90 minutes in goal for Milan and managed to keep a clean sheet. Given Real Madrid started with players like Endrick, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and Luka Modric, it is an achievement that the 19-year-old can be proud of.
On the two young players, Tomori said: “Liberali and Torriani played a great game today. Can they be in the first team? Why not. They are gaining confidence, especially Liberali. He produced a fantastic assist. Torriani also kept a clan sheet today.”
Tomori has got some extra competition for his role now that Strahinja Pavlovic has arrived from Red Bull Salzburg, although the Englishman seems to view him as a new partner rather than a threat as he explained that he is happy to play on either side of the defence.
“We are happy with his arrival. He has shown great qualities in the Champions League. For me it is not a problem to play on the right. I can play on the right or left. We are waiting for him to start working with him,” he said.
The final player that Tomori talked about is Real Madrid’s Endrick, with the 18-year-old having finally arrived from Palmeiras. He had a tough game against Milan in Chicago: “He’s obviously still young, but I know how good he is, going to a place like Madrid, and today he showed some touches and he’s very very strong. And after the game, we spoke a little in English, which was nice. I’m sure he’ll do well in Madrid.”
Was funny watching Tomori scream Hugo’s name yesterday as though he himself was impeccable. No excuses for Cuenca though as we’ve seen that carelessness in possession can lead to your teammates getting injured as in the case of Colombo’s pass. It’s a team sport anyway and the youngsters will always need reprimanding when they overdo things. Then there’s the Bakoune guy whom I’m not a big fan of. Maybe I need to watch other clips of him but from what I’ve seen so far, he doesn’t seem to be as talented as his peers. Where’s Barthesaghi by the way? Injured or on holiday?
Jimenez showed swift pace comparable to Theo pace, l feel we are on track with the way Fonseca is preparing the team, the transitional play is quite better than former.