The Croatia international had to wait over two months to make his debut for AC Milan but he is ready to impress his new employers and wants to fight for his place all season.
Mario Pasalic, who joined AC Milan in August on a season-long loan move from Chelsea, hopes he that he can prove himself “worthy” to his bosses at the San Siro.
The 21-year-old was complimented by the Milan coach, Vincenzo Montella, after he made his debut against Pescara last week, with his temporary boss going as far as to say that he would be interested in signing Pasalic on a permament basis.
Pasalic has yet to make an appearance for Chelsea after they signed him from Hajduk Split for £3 million in 2014 and has spent the past three seasons on loan at Elche, Monaco and Milan. With that in mind, he is keen to fight for his place at San Siro all season rather than return to Stamford Bridge to find another move in January.
“I thank coach Montella and chief [Adriano] Galliani for nice words about me. That means a lot but it will not make me fly,” he said. “I will just give my best to be at a high level, worthy of a club like Milan. It is a big pleasure to play at San Siro.” Naijabet
“I was calm [about rumours of returning to Chelsea] and just trained. Stories about me leaving Milan didn’t distract me. I feel how the coaches treat me; it was enough for me to stay and proof that the club want me to stay.”
“I am thrilled to finally play for Milan. I think I have done very well. I had two good chances; too bad I didn’t score. I felt a big relief after my debut. I have waited for so long and worked hard for that moment.
“During last week, the assistant coaches told me a few times how satisfied they are with my work and just to be patient. And the Pescara match was the perfect venue for my debut and I am so glad I got more than 30 minutes, not just one or two minutes.”
Pasalic admits that further opportunities may be tough after spending nine months out with not much game time but he believes that his back injury is completely behind him and that he is ready to compete for his place.
“I feel great,” he added. “The injury is behind me and I don’t even think about it any more. Remember that the last match that I played was February 14, the day after the anniversary of my debut for Hajduk, and it was against Saint-Etienne. It has been almost nine months, with only one match for Croatia Under-21s in the meantime.
“At every step, you feel how big AC Milan is. Yes, the competition is great – we have 10 midfielders of high quality and, as Milan doesn’t play in Europe, there are not enough matches for everyone to start – so every training session is a chance to prove yourself.
“We are a young and promising team and can aim high. There is no euphoria because of our good start; we are just confident and our goal is to qualify for Europe.”
