Costacurta tells Milan to hire De Zerbi or Conte but expects more from Ibrahimovic

Former Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta believes the Rossoneri should hire Roberto De Zerbi or Antonio Conte, but he expected a bigger impact from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Milan are looking for a new coach as Stefano Pioli is expected to be sacked at the end of the season.

The Serie A giants had initially targeted Julen Lopetegui, but they dropped the Spanish tactician also due to fans’ protests on social media.

Several sources claim that Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceiçao are now the leading candidates, but Costacurta feels the club should look elsewhere.

Costacurta tells Milan to hire De Zerbi or Conte

“I’d get a good Italian coach with international experience. Practically, Conte or De Zerbi,” he told Gazzetta.

“There isn’t much to say about Conte. As for De Zerbi, I have a different opinion from Capello. Both Conte and De Zerbi have strong personalities, and they share their ideas and spirit. I like coaches like that. For this reason, I am not against Conceiçao. I didn’t see Lopetegui well inside the dressing room. I like coaches with quality and a strong character, like Capello.”

Capello, a former Roma, Milan and Juventus coach, had strongly criticised De Zerbi saying that he didn’t understand why the Brighton boss was considered one of the top European coaches. 

“Fans need to dream, whether it’s with a new coach or great players. However, if you are convinced about a decision, you must be strong enough to proceed,” said Costacurta, discussing Milan’s decision to drop Lopetegui.

“Fans have passion, but rationality is also needed. I repeat that we must become accustomed to a way of communicating from American ownership that is different from ours.”

Costacurta expects more from Ibrahimovic

Lastly, Costacurta discussed Ibrahimovic’s role at the club. The former striker was hired by RedBird in December as an Operating Partner and Senior Advisor to the ownership, but he is expected to have a big influence on naming Milan’s next coach and determining the Rossoneri transfer strategies for the summer.

“He could emerge a bit more, but we may not know everything happening inside the dressing room. I know that he’s made his voice heard a couple of times,” said Costacurta.

“On TV, I’ve often heard secondary players and never those with more personality like Maignan and Leao. Zlatan could have pushed them to take responsibility or even go himself. We know that whenever Ibra talks, he never says trivial things.”