AC Milan general manager Leonardo has lifted the lid on why the club chose to swap Leonardo Bonucci for Mattia Caldara.
Bonucci, an 80-time Italian international, only joined Milan last summer after playing 319 games in a seven-year spell with Juventus.
He also featured 51 times for the Rossoneri last season but has now rejoined Juventus in a swap deal that will see Gonzalo Higuain and Caldara, who himself became an Italian international this year, move the other way.
And on Caldara’s move to the San Siro, Leonardo told a press conference (via Football Italia): “Bonucci is for now, Mattia is for the future and now.
“Atalanta also build their players mentally. On a technical level, he’s a modern player, he scores goals, he’s strong and he’s good at reading the game.
“He comes to complete a group of youngsters in Conti, Calabria and Romagnoli. All of them are young players with a great future, who can form a defence for many years to come.”
Despite seeming very happy with Milan’s new acquisition, Leonardo still reserved special praise for Bonucci, calling him an icon.
He said: “Bonucci is one of the best defenders in the world, an icon even, but things can go one way or another in football.
“It was time to evaluate things. I saw that potential in Mattia. They’re at different points in their careers.”
AC Milan finish their pre-season preparations on Sunday when they face Barcelona, while Juventus’ final pre-season game is against Real Madrid on Saturday.
The post Why AC Milan swapped “one of the best defenders in the world” for Mattia Caldara appeared first on Squawka News.
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