MILAN FUTURO, BONERA: "FULLY ALIGNED WITH THE FIRST TEAM" | OneFootball

The present of Milan Futuro is today. After the official announcment of the team and which group they are to play in, the press conference to present the new and ambitious project took place at Milanello today. The head coach, Daniele Bonera, and Zlatan Ibrahimović spoke to the press describing their emotions, impressions and objectives towards the debut 2024/25 season.

DANIELE BONERA

MILAN FUTURO "I feel great satisfaction and above all I'm really proud. I feel a great responsibility; now, we will really start working with the aim of developing young players and bringing as many of them as possible through to the First Team. When they presented the project to me, we shared the desire to improve the lads to become men before footballers. It is also an opportunity to increase the number of Italian players, but talent and humanity will come before nationality. There will be a daily exchange with Fonseca; we will also fully share the philosophy in terms of preparation and tactics, and obviously I will do my part. For now, I haven't spoken to Fonseca yet, I have a direct line with Kirovski and Ibrahimović."

THE LEAGUE "I recently studied several Serie C teams, I was amazed by the intensity and physicality. We will have to be good at preparing in the best possible way to shorten the time. There has always been a connection with Abate, I will be happy to meet him again in the same group, where we will face teams with a historic past. We will face Lecco in the Coppa Italia, I will be happy to see Baldini again."

THE SQUAD "We have identified profiles, and we are evaluating above all the human profile of certain players, because we need players who are technically good but also able to convey to the group what it means to play at this level. I'm calm. Camarda is a name that stands out, I have to make him grow, but there are other guys who have been part of the First Team.  We will support him in everything, he still has a long way to go, like the rest of his teammates."

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ

THE PROJECT "Milan Futuro is a global message full of meaning. We are organised and prepared, with this initiative we want to demonstrate that we believe in our talents and in the possibility of bringing them through to the First Team. The gap between the Primavera was too large; Serie C is another thing, and with this project our young players will have more time to grow and gain experience. The Primavera will move to Vismara, Milan Futuro will be in Milanello and will work closely with Fonseca's First Team. The team will be made up of 22-23 players; we will choose profiles of AC Milan standards, a mix of young and more experienced players to have balance. Those who will be part of Milan Futuro will also be available for the Primavera; the Youth League is an important competition, but rather than winning it, I prefer to bring more young people into the First Team."

THE STRUCTURE "In charge of the project is Jovan Kirovski; for us, he is a high level figure, and we are lucky to have him. I know Kirovski personally after going to America. In addition to being the general manager of Milan Futuro, he will also deal with transfers. The coach is Daniele Bonera, he knows AC Milan very well; he was part of Pioli's staff in the First Team and knows the young players; he has experience and for us, he is the ideal person for this team.  Home games will be played in Solbiate Arno, but at the beginning we will be in Busto Arsizio. I pushed hard to start this project; we are on the right path. Milan Futuro must be important for all of Italian football, where talent is sometimes hidden."

CARDINALE, SUPPORT AND RESULTS "I speak to Cardinale every day; he is always positive; he has followed and supported this new project. Obviously, he expects results. The First Team and Milan Futuro, in fact, will work in parallel even if they will remain seperate entities."

CAMARDA AND OTHERS "It will be an important opportunity for Camarda. It won't be easy to immediately understand the level and the situations, but we are here to protect him, give him time and space to grow. He is one of our great talents, we believe in him a lot. Some of our young players who will be part of Milan Futuro have already tasted the First Team setup; now, we want them to stay there once they join in. Jiménez will be Hernández's deputy, but he will be available to play for Milan Futuro."

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