Papin urges Milan to trust Fonseca with ‘strong and complete’ squad: “Give him time” | OneFootball

Jean-Pierre Papin has urged AC Milan to give Paulo Fonseca to build what he is trying to, while he also spoke about the French core of players that are currently at his former club.

Milan had a very positive preseason as they beat Premier League winners Manchester City, the champions of Europe Real Madrid and their El Clasico rivals Barcelona during their preseason tour of the USA, before beating Monza 3-1 to retain the Berlusconi Trophy.

However, things have not continued in the same vain as the Rossoneri had to come from two goals down to rescue a late draw against Torino, then they lost 2-1 away against newly-promoted Parma and most recently let a lead slip against Lazio before rallying back to earn another 2-2 draw.

Milan have just two points from nine available and are five points behind their main rivals Inter and Juventus, teams that Fonseca said his side should be battling for the Scudetto with. With six goals conceded too, the pressure is already on to engineer a turnaround.

France will take on Italy at the Parc des Princes in Paris tonight and Papin – who is the new coach of Marseille’s second team – was interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport about his former side Milan, with MilanNews relaying his comments.

Is it right to be patient with ‘your’ Milan?

“They have a strong and complete squad thanks to the market purchases. And then there’s Fonseca, a good coach who I know well. You just have to give him time.”

What did you like about Fonseca’s Lille?

“The attacking football, but also the defensive compactness. It was a balanced team that for two years achieved excellent results and developed the players.”

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Will the French players at Milan help him?

“Maignan is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, an absolute certainty, it is no coincidence that he is also a starter in the national team. Fofana is a midfielder that all coaches would like: for years he was a pillar of Monaco and will be for the Rossoneri too.”

And Theo Hernandez, who made headlines against Lazio for the cooling break incident?

“I haven’t seen it (smiles). Theo is one of the best full-backs in the world”.

Who is your favourite for the Scudetto?

“Inter, but the season will be balanced: there’s Juve, Napoli and then… Milan.”