Gabbia played the games against Pro Sesto and Modena from start but was placed on the bench for Nice-Milan yesterday. He did, however, come on from the second half and did very well for the rest of the game.
The young defender, due to the initial absence of Davide Calabria, played as a right-back for the first two games. He also did this for a short period yesterday, but then he was moved infield as Milan seemingly switched to a three-man backline.
In an interview with MilanTV (see video below), Gabbia spoke about the game and what it was like compared to the other two friendlies. He also shared his thoughts on the new signings Mike Maignan, Fode Ballo-Toure and Olivier Giroud.
“Tonight’s clash was certainly more complicated than the ones against Pro Sesto and Modena. We faced an excellent team and they were in better shape than we were, given that their season starts in a week.
“We’re happy, we played well, especially in terms of spirit and enthusiasm as well as our determination to implement the manager’s ideas. Now we will head home and we will listen to what the manager has to say about improvements.
“We try to work as well as possible and to give more each day. The manager is very good at getting the most out of us, but we players also give it our all so it’s a positive thing. We have to continue as we are doing.
“Giroud, Maignan and Ballo-Toure are great lads. They’re very intelligent and they’re really special lads. I wasn’t expecting their great efforts to blend into the team, they have already learnt a lot of Italian and that shows how determined they are.
For next season, Gabbia will most likely be the fourth-choice centre-back and this could result in some playing time for him. There may be three ahead of him, but competing in three competitions will require Milan to have depth.
More must-reads: