Going into Thursday night’s game against Celtic, there were two players Milan were likely to be keeping an eye on.
One will have been Kristoffer Ajer, whom the Serie A side have held a long-standing interest in, as the Italians look for defensive reinforcements for their squad.
The other is Diego Laxalt, as the Uruguayan is currently on loan at Parkhead, sent there to get him minutes as he would have struggled to displace Théo Hernández at San Siro.
There was little to play for for Celtic going into the game other than pride, but Neil Lennon’s men, currently in a poor run of form, were unable to create an upset as Stefano Pioli’s men overcame a 2-0 early deficit to win 4-2.
Looking at the game the next day, Gazzetta dello Sport rated the players, and while it wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful either.
As for Laxalt, he was also given a 5.5, as Gazzetta explained that while he ‘offered, he didn’t manage to impose himself’, he ‘tried, but didn’t manage’, rating his performance as ‘incomplete’.
Their man of the match (7/10) on Celtic’s side was Jeremie Frimpong, who played down the right of the attack, with the Italian newspaper admiring him playing ‘a game of optimum level’, showcasing his technique, pace, insistence and ability to shoot.
On the other end of the scale was Hatem Abd Elhamed with 5/10, dubbed ‘the worst’, who was ‘overpowered’ all night long by Jens Petter Hauge, who ended the game with a goal and an assist.
A night to somewhat forget for Celtic, who will now turn their attention to an important league game against Aberdeen.
