Milan Defender Determined to Stay Put This Summer

Malick Thiaw has had an up-and-down third year at Milan, as he suffered a major thigh injury midway through the season. He has been occasionally linked with an exit since he’d be a sizeable ‘plusvalenza.’ He talked about it and more to Sky.

“We expected more. We must always aim to the top and we can learn a lot from this campaign. Obviously, I want to stay. Playing here is a privilege and I will give my best for this club to achieve important goals along with my teammates.”

Thiaw addressed the silent protest by the Milan fans in recent matches.

“We understand their dissent: we didn’t reach the objectives we had set for ourselves. We must accept the message they sent.”

The defender expounded on his struggles.

“Being sidelined for three months wasn’t easy. It was my first severe injury, and I didn’t know how to get out of it. I thought regaining the right rhythm would have been enough; instead, it took more time. I returned to a good level now and feel better physically.”

Thiaw saluted two veterans who will leave Milan, Olivier Giroud and Simon Kjaer.

“It was a pleasure to play with them. The former is a gentleman and one of my reference points. He’s humble despite having won everything. The defender is truly a nice guy and was always available to give me tips and honest opinions. I knew I could count on him, both in football and in everyday life.”