Papers name underrated star of Milan’s 1-0 victory over Verona | OneFootball

Santiago Gimenez may have stolen the headlines with his winning goal in Milan’s 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona on Saturday evening, and Rafael Leao has received plaudits for his assist, the versatile Alex Jimenez came away as the highest rated player by the Italian press.

Milan picked up a tricky 1-0 win at home against Verona on Saturday evening. Jimenez and Leao combined neatly on the edge of the area to tee up Gimenez, who has now scored in both of his first two Serie A matches since joining from Feyenoord.

In doing so, Gimenez has become only the third player to score in each of his first two Serie A appearances for Milan in the three-point era.

Jimenez earns praise after Milan 1-0 Verona

Alex Jimenez in action during the Trofeo Berlusconi match against AC Monza on August 13, 2024. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Though the Mexican scored the winning goal, it was the Spaniard Jimenez who came away as Milan’s highest rated players by the vast majority of the Italian outlets after full-time.

He claimed an average rating of 7/10, topping Gimenez and Leao, who were both rated at 6.5/10 in most reports.

The Spaniard was introduced at half-time as a replacement for right-back Kyle Walker, and was praised for his speed, creativity and his recovery on a mental level after picking up a booking in the 59th minute.

Milan have now won three of their last four Serie A matches with a tally of 10 out of a possible 12 points over that period.