Ibrahimovic heaps praise on ‘revitalised’ Pulisic and ‘exceptional’ Reijnders | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has heaped praise upon Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders, who have become two of AC Milan’s leading lights.

Both Pulisic and Reijnders arrived in the 2023 summer transfer window and it would be fair to say that they are among the first names on the team sheet following their respective moves from Chelsea and AZ Alkmaar.

The numbers for the USA international speak for themselves: 22 goals and 16 assists in 65 games for the Rossoneri across all competitions. Meanwhile, the Dutchman has eight goals and seven assists in 64 appearances, but has taken a step forward in his end product so far this season.

Ibrahimovic was interviewed by the UEFA Champions League Magazine before the game against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, and we translated his interview in full last night. As part of it, he was asked about the midfielder and the winger.

We spoke with Pulisic and Reijnders. What do you think about both players? First of all, Christian is showing great form…

“I think Christian is our ‘Captain America’. He is doing extraordinary things, you can see that he is happy; being at Milan makes every player happy. This is not just my opinion; every player would tell you the same thing.

“They have an optimal environment to focus only on football and performance on the pitch. As for Pulisic, we have revitalised him and now you can see that he is really happy on the pitch, and for this reason he is performing at a high level. Off the pitch he is also essential for us.

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“As for Reijnders, I think he is the player who has grown the most in a short time. He arrived from Holland, from the great work he did at AZ, and he is doing an exceptional job.

“He has become an important player for the team, for the club and for his national team, proving to be a high-level profile. I am very satisfied with both of them, and they are essential for us.”

Reijnders is also the latest in a long line of great Dutch players who have played an important role for this club…

“If we go back, there is the historic trio with Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit, who were icons and symbols of the club. The Dutch players have a good CV at the club, and Reijnders feels a bit of pressure to be Dutch and have to prove his worth. But he is doing a great job.

“We are very happy with him, and he must continue like this. Like every Milan player, however, he will be remembered for what he wins. If you don’t win, you are not remembered.”