Milan star Rafael Leao acknowledges his relationship with the Milan fans is no longer what it once was. He also admitted being hurt by recurring criticism.
The 25-year-old tacked several issues in his interview with Sky Sport (via Calciomercato), including his rapport with the club’s new manager Paulo Fonseca.
We’re both Portuguese and since he arrived he has given me confidence. We spoke about the seasonal objectives during the start of pre-season and he is giving me a lot of spport and explaining to me how I can still improve.
The Portugal international reveals he misses scoring goals, although he’s content with playing provider.
I miss scoring. I’m producing a lot of assists now. Nevertheless, I’m not too bothered by this issue. The most important thing is to win. The week leading up to Inter, I didn’t think about being a protagonist, I just wanted to do a good job because winning a Derby with this shirt is a huge feat.
Leao insists Milan can beat Bayer Leverkusen in their next Champions League outing, even though it won’t be an easy task.
We can win, but we definitely must respect Bayer. They have great quality and a top coach, but we will aim for victory so we can unlock our Champions League campaign.
Leao had to address the infamous cooling break incident during the encounter against Lazio when he and Theo Hernandez isolated themselves from the group after coming in as substitutes. He insists there wasn’t any malice behind their demeanor.
Theo has already said everything about that episode. We had been on the pitch for just two minutes so we didn’t need a cooling break. It wasn’t a personal issue with the coach. We were on the other side of the pitch, I didn’t even hear Abraham calling for us to join.
Finally, Leao admitted his relationship with the fanbase has deteriorated over the past two years, and that he remains sensitive to criticism.
Personally, the vibes I receive from the fans have changed over the last two years. But I don’t want to talk about it because the most important thing is still Milan. However, Criticism certainly hurts.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |