Pioli reveals what Ibrahimovic told him and discusses star striker's impact at AC Milan
"Ibrahimovic? He is a warrior, a leader, a charismatic player who has a great sense of responsibility and a great desire to win. He will stimulate the whole team, his contribution will be fundamental," he said.
"As the youngest team in the league, we have found some limitations in terms of competitive badness. Ibra is the type of player, person and leader, who can help us. I thank the ownership, Gazidis, Maldini, Boban and Massara who have worked a lot during the holidays.
"Ibra knows how to do everything. He knows how to assist, he knows how to occupy the penalty box well, he will be the point of reference of our offensive phase. We spoke on the phone, he is very excited, he can't wait to train with us and I can't wait to have him.
"I welcomed him, he inquired about the team's conditions, about the next training sessions, on the next situations to face. He said to me: 'Mister, don't worry, I'm fine.
"How to overcome the blow in Bergamo? With the desire for redemption because we finished 2019 in the worst possible way. Ibra gives us one more reason to be positive. We have to become more concrete. We are forced to play too high a volume to win, we are one of the teams that take less advantage of the opportunities created. It is a big limit, we left 3-4 points for this.
"The objectives? The ownership told me to do everything possible to achieve the highest possible goals. They did not necessarily ask me for Champions League qualification but to exploit the players at disposal, aware of having a team with quality," Pioli concluded.