AC Milan put one foot in the last 16 of the Europa League with a 3-0 win over Rennes, but the night carried even more significance for Malick Thiaw as he returned from injury.
The first leg of the play-off round could hardly have gone better for Milan, as a brace from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and a beautiful strike from Rafael Leao gave them a three-goal lead to take to France next week.
In the second half Stefano Pioli made a number of changes, and he decided it was time for Thiaw to taste the field again after almost two months out.
It has been a long recovery process for the Germany international after he suffered a quite serious muscle tear during the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund at San Siro.
He may not have 90 minutes in his legs yet, but it was certainly a very useful portion of the game to pay and get back into the swing of things.
Thiaw spoke to Sky after the game to analyse what was a very positive night not just for the team but also for him personally, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
How does it feel to be back?
“I’m very happy to be back on the pitch. I felt good. It wasn’t an easy period, but now I’m back It’s also a good evening for the team as we won 3-0.”
Gabbia and Kjaer have filled in well…
“They are playing great matches.”
Did you recover quicker than expected?
“I got ahead of myself a bit. I worked patiently without taking risks.”
How are the team?
“We are all happy in the dressing room.”
Can Milan go all the way in the Europa League?
“We can win it, but there’s still the return match against Rennes which is the most important match at the moment. Then we’ll see what happens.”
