Milan Defender Praises High-Flying Midfielder After Hellas Verona Win | OneFootball

Milan defender Matteo Gabbia hailed the atmosphere in the Rossoneri dressing room following a gutsy 1-0 win at Hellas Verona. Tijjani Reijnders’ second-half winner inspired Paulo Fonseca’s injury-hit side to an all-important triumph at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi.

Perhaps more importantly, Milan registered a second Serie A clean sheet on the trot, showing a noticeable improvement on significant defensive woes earlier in the season. Gabbia delivered a sturdy performance in Veneto, cementing his status as a regular starter at Stadio San Siro.

Despite returning to the win column following a disappointing goalless home draw against Genoa last weekend, Milan flattered to deceive. However, Gabbia insists the atmosphere in the locker room remains buoyant, even though these are not pleasant times for the club.

“Absolutely, the atmosphere is healthy and the guys are positive,” the Milan center-back told DAZN via MilanNews. “We are not happy because we are struggling to get results, but the mentality is right. A hard-fought victory like this on a difficult pitch is important and we take home the three points.

“There is an obligation to try in every way to fix the standings. None of us is happy, we want to do more, we are trying to do it in our daily work. Now we are in a difficult situation, we are missing many players. But all those who came in have had a great impact.“

Reijnders has become one of Europe’s best midfielders this season, soaking up the limelight as Milan’s headline performer. Gabbia delivered his verdict on the Dutchman’s rise to stardom.

“Phenomenal, it’s not the first time I’ve said it,” the Milan defender admitted. “This morning I told him ‘Tijji please, let us win the match because I’ll try not to concede’. He’s a man of his word.“