De Ketelaere outlines why he ‘decided to leave’ Milan and his relationship with Maldini

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SempreMilan

·13. September 2023

De Ketelaere outlines why he ‘decided to leave’ Milan and his relationship with Maldini

Charles De Ketelaere has once again spoken about his season at AC Milan and what led to his exit after just one year at the club this summer.

De Ketelaere was Milan’s big-money signing after the Scudetto-winning season in last year’s summer mercato but things did not go to plan, as he failed to score a goal and amassed just one assist, losing his spot in the starting line-up too in 2023.

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However, the Belgian’s last few weeks have been full of firsts. After joining Atalanta on an initial loan deal last month he netted his first goal in Serie A on debut, then over the international break he bagged his first for Belgium too.

His 2023-24 has started in the best possible way after a very difficult year at Milan, and the attacking midfielder gave an interview to Di Marzio about the past 12 months.

“The season at Milan wasn’t a good one for me, so I decided to leave to play more and rediscover the feeling on the pitch,” he began.

“Now I want to show everyone who I am and I’m succeeding. I’m very happy to be at Atalanta, the start to the season has been excellent.”

He joined the Bergamo club on loan with an option to buy, but he insisted he hasn’t thought about it becoming a permanent move just yet.

“I don’t think about the future, I just want to concentrate on the next match to show my qualities. Atalanta’s objective is to win every match.”

On the possibility of Milan winning the Scudetto and Champions League he added: “Today I am an Atalanta player, I can’t say too much.”

De Ketelaere then concluded the interview by speaking about the former technical director, Paolo Maldini, who was sacked over the summer.

“I had a good relationship with him . Maldini was a great player, he is a nice person and he is also a great sporting director. It’s enough to see the success he had with Milan.”