Marco Sportiello held a press conference after completing his first training session with AC Milan. Here are his words about Maignan, the choice of joining the Rossoneri, and more.
On Maignan, he said:
"I knew Maignan was an important goalkeeper. Even though I'm 31 years old, I would like to learn something from him. He seems well-established already, and I don't think he needs advice. I can help him by providing stimulation and maintaining a good training rhythm."
On being the second goalkeeper:
"With three competitions, everyone is needed, not just on the field. In daily life, everyone should push the group forward, and it's not just an empty phrase", said Sportiello, "I have realized this over the years. It's not easy because when you are the second goalkeeper, you don't play often, so you have to be good and stay focused. I want to be reliable and know that I am here."
On goalkeepers in general, he added:
"There are many goalkeepers I like: Ter Stegen is very strong, Handanovic has been excellent, even though he's with Inter. Courtois and Oblak too."
On choosing Milan, Sportiello said:
"I played the last 10 matches with Atalanta. I had already made my decision before becoming a starter, and then it was difficult to say no to Milan. I gave everything in Bergamo, and I'm happy with the path I took. They also have many goalkeepers, and I don't think they will tear their hair out. I had an agreement in place for a while, so my agent and I went directly down this path."
Who are you curious about working with?
"The coach is someone who talks to you a lot and explains many things. There will be time to talk. I want to see Maignan up close, and then Mirante has a lot of experience, so I want to learn from him too. As for players, I would say Leao. The more high-level players there are, the more stimulating it is. Loftus is clearly an important player with physicality, but I don't know him well yet. He will give us a big hand."
