AC Milan coach Montella in no hurry to sign new striker

Vincenzo Montella says AC Milan do not have a deadline as they hunt for a new striker to add to their remodelled squad.

Milan have signed 10 players including Portugal striker Andre Silva and Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci in a busy window, while teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma agreed a new contract after appearing likely to depart.

But Montella indicated Milan have not finished buying new players, with strikers including Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Diego Costa of Chelsea and Torino forward Andrea Belotti having been linked.

“We’ve stopped for a moment after working so hard [on transfers],” Montella told reporters ahead of the second leg of Milan’s Europa League third-round qualifier against CSU Craiova. “We don’t have any hurry, we’re attentive. There’s no deadline.

“Silva is doing well, we know he needs to grow because he’s just arrived. Yesterday he had a small problem with his finger, I’ll evaluate whether to play him. It’s normal for there to be competition at a big club, a great player has to deal with these situations. There’s no rush – and he has to adapt.”

And the winner of the Best Goal Of July is… @hakanc10! 
“I hope you’ll see more goals here at San Siro” #weareacmilan pic.twitter.com/U8oRTHEueu

— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 2, 2017

Milan lead 1-0 ahead of the return leg at San Siro on Thursday, with a free-kick from Ricardo Rodriguez giving Montella’s men the advantage, but the coach called for an improved display from his side.

“I expect a better game from us from the psychological point of view, more than physical compared to the match at Craiova, although the team had the right approach,” Montella said. “We have to maintain this approach also at San Siro.

“We have also improved also physically, we managed to get over the time difference. We have to keep in mind that we had only three days to prepare for the match against Craiova after coming back from China. I expect to see some improvements.

“They are a well-organised team who defend well and they have shown to have good pace up front. We have to keep concentrated for the entire match, the risk is we become too stretched. Despite the gap between the two teams, if we don’t give 100 per cent the game can become tricky.

“We must respect our opponents. The most important thing tomorrow is the result but we want to play well in front of our fans.”

#Montella: “@suso30oficial in the starting XI? I’ll decide tomorrow. I can’t risk fielding too many players not 100% fit”#MilanCraiova

— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 2, 2017

The first competitive home game of Milan’s season will see Donnarumma feature after a long-running transfer saga concluded with the goalkeeper signing a new deal to commit his future to the club.

And Montella hopes Donnarumma – who was showered with fake money by Italy supporters during an Under-21 international during the off season – gets a positive response from Milan supporters.

“Gigio has grown as a man this summer, he was always in the public eye,” Montella said. “I hope the fans will welcome him warmly tomorrow.

“He has shown his love for this club, it probably took him a bit of time, but these things can happen. He needs the support of his fans.”