Zlatan Ibrahimovic Sings Praise About Milan Superstar Amid Rocky Start

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, senior advisor at Milan, has waxed lyrical about highly-rated Rossoneri winger Rafael Leao amid harsh criticism. The Portugal international has endured a troubled start to the new campaign, yet the ex-Swedish striker is adamant Leao remains the club’s best player.

“I’ve always been proud of him. When I first met him, he was just a kid. Now he’s grown up, more adult and mature. He’s a footballer now. Before, he was a potential talent,” Ibrahimovic said about the standout Milan performer, as reported by Calciomercato.

“There are more wow and fewer wow moments for everyone, the important thing is to keep the less wow moments as high as possible. In my opinion, he doesn’t know how strong he is. When he understands it, everything will come out.

“He has this pressure because he’s one of the strongest of all, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about him. For us, he is. The question is whether he knows how strong he is.“

Things haven’t gone well for Leao since Paulo Fonseca became the Milan manager. However, the pair seems to have put their differences aside after a rocky start, with the former Lille forward regaining his place in the starting XI in recent matches.

Leao was on the scoresheet as Milan drew 0-0 with Juventus on Saturday, potentially losing crucial ground on pacesetters Inter, who thrashed Hellas Verona 5-0 earlier in the day. With nine points separating the sides, Leao must live up to Ibrahimovic’s expectations to help the Rossoneri regain a foothold in the Scudetto race.