‘Lay the foundations’ – Gabbia excited about Milan Futuro and preseason under Fonseca | OneFootball

AC Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has stressed the importance of preseason preparations as he looks forward to working with the new head coach Paulo Fonseca.

The Milan squad are back in training today after the summer break, or at least those players who have not been away with their national team are. It will be a crucial few weeks as Fonseca looks to impart his ideas ahead of the USA tour later in the month.

The Portuguese was officially presented to fans and journalists at Casa Milan this morning, and he spoke about what he wants to bring as the new head coach of Milan during a press conference.

Gabbia did an interview with Milan TV before the first session got underway and he offered some comments on the important period that lies ahead.

“There is a lot of curiosity and desire to follow a coach who is new, who has just arrived. There is a desire to get to know him and make himself known,” he said.

“Consequently this is our objective for these first weeks of work: to try to get to know each other better and make him understand our strengths and weaknesses, to lay the foundations for a future that can be beautiful.

“Milan Futuro? The initiative that the club has undertaken is very nice: as a result, we hope that the young players can also give us a hand. We know that we have an excellent youth sector with many good young players and that last year, at a delicate moment, they gave us a hand.

“As a result, it will be a stimulus both for us and for them who are approaching the start of the season with the first team.”

Gabbia spent the first half of last season on loan at Villarreal having been deemed surplus to requirements but was recalled during the defensive injury crisis and impressed. Thus, he is likely to remain part of the first team squad for this season and beyond.