The final pre-season game for Manchester United is upon us. Manchester United take on AC Milan and a win for the Red Devils would mean they’d be crowned International Champions Cup champions.
Ahead of the game, we caught up with Oli Fisher from the excellent SempreMilan.com. Go check them out on Twitter @SempreMilancom too…
Amongst the topic of discussion was Oli’s thoughts on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he also gave us the Italian view on the Romelu Lukaku transfer saga…
Jordan @ Old Trafford Faithful: Hi Oli, first and foremost, tell us a bit about yourself and SempreMilan?
Oli @ SempreMilan: I’m originally a Huddersfield fan from birth, but developed a love for Milan while watching their incredible teams of the 2000s and have stuck with them ever since!
Myself and two friends created SempreMilan back in 2016 just as a place for us to write our opinions and get some journalistic practice, and over the last three years, it has developed into something we are all very proud of.
Jordan @ OTF: Rightly so, there’s some brilliant content on there. United and AC Milan actually haven’t met in a competitive game in almost a decade. A lot has changed since then (for both), how do you rate the Red Devils’ chances ahead of the upcoming season?
Oli @ SempreMilan: I like the way that Solskjaer is going about things and I really hope he does well this season (he was one of my favourite players growing up!). I have always maintained that United have a very good core of players, it’s about getting them to perform consistently, upgrading the deadwood and complimenting with exciting young signings who can develop.
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James in, Paulo Dybala to possibly follow, those are steps in the right direction. I think top four though is too big an ask for you guys this season, I hope to be proven wrong.
Jordan @ OTF: Heh, we hope you’re wrong on that one too! And how about AC? What are the realistic expectations for you guys this season?
Oli @ SempreMilan: We have undergone a big overhaul this summer with a new manager, sporting director and technical director in place. The signings are starting to flow now too with Theo Hernandez (Real Madrid), Rade Krunic, Ismael Bennacer (both from Empoli), Rafael Leao and Leo Duarte all secure and hopefully Angel Correa plus a midfielder to follow.
We too have a young core with the likes of Donnarumma, Romagnoli, Calabria, Kessie, Piatek that must be nurtured and built around. I think the new ownership and the new boss Marco Giampaolo have a clear vision and are 100% invested in that, something we haven’t been able to say for years.
Jordan @ OTF: Obviously, Romelu Lukaku has been heavily linked with a transfer to a couple of your rivals. What’s the view on him in Italy?
Oli @ SempreMilan: I think the view from Italy is that the fee reported (£80m roughly) is too high, but the two clubs who are in for him most – Inter and Juve – are desperate so that plays in to United’s hands perfectly.
Even if you can get Dybala in a straight swap that represents a serious upgrade for Solskjaer to work with. Lukaku could possibly do well in Serie A; he has the kind of profile that means he could either score a hatful or flop hugely. I don’t think there will be an in-between.
Jordan @ OTF: Yeah, us United fans are desperate to see Dybala now! Are there any AC Milan dangermen that United need to watch out for during the game?
Oli @ SempreMilan: It feels as though Milan are still a way off hitting their rhythm in preseason despite playing two ICC games already due to a combination of injuries and players coming back from international duty.
Look out for Suso playing in behind the strikers as it is pretty much do-or-die for him at this stage to see whether he can adapt from being a winger into a 4-3-1-2. Apart from that, it will be another fitness exercise for the lads to get up to pace before the season starts at the end of August.
Jordan @ OTF: As in ex-Liverpool Suso? Ew! Jokes aside, that makes sense What would it mean to beat United in pre-season. Would it be a good confidence-booster?
Oli @ SempreMilan: Of course it would be huge to score some goals and win against a big opponent, but as mentioned it very much feels like results are not the focus at this point. It’s all about seeing Giampaolo’s vision come to life and how players adapt or don’t adapt to his system, so very much a feeling out process.
Jordan @ OTF: If you could choose one player, with no restrictions, to sign from United, who would you choose?
Oli @ SempreMilan: The obvious answer would be to go for the player with the most quality like Pogba, Rashford or Martial – but I’ll say Victor Lindelof to be different. We are in desperate need of a centre-back and I think he showed exactly what he is capable of last season after a difficult 2017-18.
Jordan @ OTF: Yeah. he’s really growing on the United fans at the moment. Likewise, is there an AC Milan player who would help this United team ahead of the new season (again no restrictions)?
Oli @ SempreMilan: Funnily enough, you are in a similar position in needing a centre-back, so I’ll say Alessio Romagnoli. I think if he were in the Premier League, he would be rightly considered one of the best defenders in the world. But he’s our captain, so hands-off ?
Jordan @ OTF: It’s pre-season, I know it’s tough, give us a score prediction?
Oli @ SempreMilan: United are significantly further ahead in preseason preparation than Milan as mentioned before, so I think you will take this one 2-1.
Jordan @ OTF: We’ll go for a 2-1 win, sealing our International Champions Cup trophy in the process! That counts as Ole’s first major honour, right…?
Follow Old Trafford Faithful on Twitter for more Manchester United news & views.
Be the first to comment