AC Milan's central defender, Fikayo Tomori, has spoken about his AC Milan experience so far and working under experienced head coach Massimiliano Allegri. Here's what he had to say:
"We all came back in the summer with a point to prove, individually and collectively. We have to attack the season and get back in the Champions League," he told BBC. "Physically it's the best I've felt. Part of that is knowing where I have to be on the pitch. It's helped me a lot when it comes to reading the game. It's a simple thing, but there's no need to over-extend yourself as a defender. It's about running smarter, not harder."
It is nearly six years since Tomori, who grew up supporting Arsenal, made the leap and left Chelsea, where he came through the ranks...
"I wanted to stabilise my career. The accent comes naturally too. If I don't speak in the accent or switch it on, they won't understand. It's a different way of life, but the biggest difference is how we train. In Italy it's a lot more focus-based in terms of how we'll play, whereas in England training can be more physical and intense. When I was growing up there was a stereotype that English players didn't go abroad, but there's quite a few now, which shows we can go abroad and adapt to a different way of living too."
On Milanello:
"It's mad. You walk in every day and you see pictures of players like Maldini, (Franco) Baresi, Kaka, Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) and (Alessandro) Nesta. So you definitely feel the expectation knowing those players were in the same building. And it comes from the fans you meet in the city. You realise how much weight the shirt holds. I love that they're so proud of the club and there's an expectation for us to deliver and do what those before did."
On aiming to win the Scudetto and increase his chances to be called up for the England squad for the FIFA World Cup, Tomori commented:
"Of course, I want that for myself and I know that winning the league will help. I spoke to him after the last international break in November. We've spoken a few times and the message is to keep doing what I'm doing. The World Cup is six months away and there's a lot of football to be played. I know he's watching and keeping an eye because he called up (team-mate) Ruben Loftus-Cheek. That gives me the confidence I can make it. He came to Milan last season and I know he gets our data and sees our clips regularly too. The way he's spoken about it is that it's difficult because there's so many players in that position, and I get it because you have players like John Stones, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn and Ezri Konsa. But the world cup is still a dream and I'm working towards that."
Luka Modric, who joined AC Milan in the summer, lives in the same apartment complex as Tomori.
"I I guess it's not too shabby of a building then," he joked. "Speaking with Modric? Yes, but it's more about listening when he speaks and seeing the way he carries himself and trains. You just know the levels and, because it's Modric, whenever he speaks you just listen."
