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Montella responds to Mirabelli and confirms AC Milan tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Montella responds to Mirabelli and confirms AC Milan tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Former AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about his time at the San Siro and responded to recent words of former club sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli.

"I should have left after the Super Cup won in Doha against Juventus. The management had not trusted me for a long time. My biggest mistake was to support the club in creating too big expectations for a team that signed eleven new players, we had to keep a much lower profile," he said.

"Some purchases were shared, other I found out about after they happened, like Andrea Silva, a young man of potential. I insisted on Bonucci but the captain's armband was promised by the management. Calhanoglu arrived after six months of not playing. And in the end, two roles were uncovered: the regista and striker.

"Kalinic was a very welcome player, but before him, we were very close to Morata and Batshuayi. It was difficult to sign them with 20 million available. Ronaldo? We made an attempt.

"Gattuso? He was wrong to criticize me for the athletic training. One thing is to run more, another is the intensity you put into it. Kessie, Calhanoglu and Musacchio improved because they had time to adapt. In addition, they signed Higuain, who is a very strong player, I asked for him too.

"Abbiati's criticism? I took it badly. I thought I had a good relationship with him and in fact, I invited him to all the technical meetings, except for the last one, where I was alone with the team. The truth is that he never wanted to participate," Montella concluded.