Why it’s hoped new €11m Milan signing will adapt quickly to displace new teammate

August 7, 2019 MilanTalk Staff Blog, News 0

With the new season fast approaching, Marco Giampaolo will hope to get any further Milan reinforcements in sooner rather than later.

The 52-year-old has already started to leave his footprint on our style of play and identity on the pitch, and the club continue to back him with sensible signings to fit his needs and system with the players responding by adjusting to his methods and tactics.

SEE MORE: Milan finally address issues with quality depth but missing piece will be crucial

The Rossoneri open the Serie A campaign against Udinese on August 25, but there is no doubt that the squad, and starting XI, is coming together.

As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan officially announced the signing of Leo Duarte in an €11m deal from Flamengo on Wednesday, with the 23-year-old signing a contract that keeps him with us until 2024.

With Cristian Zapata and Ignazio Abate leaving this summer after their contracts expired, coupled with Mattia Caldara’s continued bid to fully recovery from a horrendous season due to injuries, defensive reinforcements were certainly needed.

As with any player making the switch from South America, Duarte will need time to adapt and adjust to Italian football, although he seemingly has the characteristics required to fit in well with his anticipation and reading of the game combined with a tenacious and energetic side and pace to recover well.

On top of that he has sound aerial ability, although perhaps question marks remain over his concentration and habit of switching off at times when marking the opposition.

Naturally, he’ll be assessed in the coming weeks by Giampaolo to determine just how raw he is or if like his former Flamengo teammate, Lucas Paqueta, he can make an immediate impact, as ultimately there is no rush to throw him straight into the side.

That being said though, given the vulnerabilities and weaknesses that Musacchio showed last season and in pre-season this time round, it’s hoped that Duarte can adapt quickly and establish himself as an ideal partner for Alessio Romagnoli, at least until Caldara returns and can prove his ability to stay fit.

Duarte is equally as comfortable on the ball as the Argentine, and so Giampaolo will value that highly in terms of being able to build out from the back and having two composed centre-halves to build a solid foundation in the side.

However, time and time again we’ve seen Musacchio switch off and make costly mistakes, whether it’s losing his man in the box or being deceived by pace or movement.

The 28-year-old is a fine player and so he’s still a valuable member of the squad, but ultimately he needs to be just that if Milan are to compete at the highest level, as it would be ideal to have him provide quality depth rather than be a pillar that Milan heavily rely upon moving forward.

From being entirely lost against Mauro Icardi in the Derby della Madonnina last October, in what proved to be a hugely costly last-minute defeat, to Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard exposing him in Cardiff last week, albeit Davide Calabria was also culpable, Musacchio appears to be a constant issue in those situations and so it’s hoped Duarte can prove to be an astute signing along with our four other new faces.