Defender Fikayo Tomori has revealed that he sees it as an ‘honour’ every time he gets to pull on the AC Milan shirt.
Tomori arrived at Milan in January on a six-month loan from Chelsea, where he had been struggling to get playing time, and so far he has made a very positive impact in his eight appearances.
The Englishman spoke to the microphones of Milan TV on the eve of the game, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews and relayed below. He began by reflecting on his time with the club so far, confirming that he is finding the experience a very positive one.
“Since I arrived, every time I have worn this shirt has been an honour. Tomorrow being able to play this match between two clubs that have made history in Europe will certainly be special and we hope that the result will be positive,” he said.
Both Milan and Manchester United go into the game after important victories in the league, with the Red Devils having beaten their rivals Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday hours after the Rossoneri had won against Hellas Verona.
“Already after the qualification I felt that we would challenge an English team and obviously meet Manchester United, a great European club, everyone charged, we were waiting for this big match. Now we are here and we want to play a great match to bring home a good result,” Tomori added.
“We play away at United, it will be difficult but when we play as we know we can beat anyone, we hope so tomorrow, we have prepared well and now we want to play to return to Milan with a positive result.”
Tomori also uttered a few words on his team-mates and in particular the two defensive partners he has had so far in captain Alessio Romagnoli and Danish veteran Simon Kjaer.
“The Captain, Romagnoli, helped me a lot even though he doesn’t speak much English, on the pitch I speak to him in Italian and he speaks to me in English. He tries to help me a lot as does Kjaer, who speaks English, but both they are helping me a lot. They show me the position to hold and make sure that I understand the coach’s instructions in training. This helps me a lot, they are two great professionals.”
The English centre-back has quickly adapted to Italian football and Stefano Pioli’s system, with talk already that he could remain on a permanent basis.
“I’m fine, I’m happy, I could hardly have asked for more since my start here. I’m playing and everyone has welcomed me very well. The team is in a good moment, we are in the running in the league and in the Europa League so everyone is satisfied, I’m happy and we hope it will last until the end of the season.”
