CorSport: Milan’s Italian influence could further decrease – two boyhood fans at risk | OneFootball

There have been calls from some sections of the AC Milan fan base to increase the amount of Italian influence in the squad, but a report has suggested that it could in fact be further cut.

According to this morning’s edition of Corriere dello Sport (via PianetaMilan), two players above all are at risk out of the already small Azzurri group: midfielder Tommaso Pobega and the full-back (and captain) Davide Calabria.

The Rossoneri management are looking for a new right-back and the starting spot is currently held by Calabria, who is reportedly negotiating a renewal but at the moment his situation is on stand-by because of his requests for a pay rise.

For Pobega it is another story. After a season complicated by an injury there is the risk that he will not get the playing time he needs to keep developing, while there is interest from clubs like Fiorentina that mean he could be sold for a capital gain.

Matteo Gabbia, Filippo Teracciano, Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Sportiello are the only other Italians that are in the senior squad, and it is striking that there is no player from Milan that is currently with Luciano Spalletti’s side at the European Championship.

Calabria and Pobega are similar in many ways as they came through the entire youth sector of Milan and did so as boyhood fans of the club, eventually making their senior debut.