Former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has revealed how he found it 'difficult' not playing during his latter days at Stamford Bridge before his move to AC Milan.
Tomori joined the Italian giants in January 2022 for £24million following a successful loan spell during the second half of the 2020/21 season. The centre-back left the Blues after losing his spot in defence under then Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.
The Englishman has made over 155 appearances for Milan, helping them win the Serie A title in 2022. Now, nearly three years after leaving the capital, Tomori has insisted he has no regrets over leaving the club, despite it seemingly stagnating his England chances.
"When I first found out about it [Milan's interest], I was kind of shocked," he told ITV Sport. "The thing that made me realise it was Milan, I spoke to Paolo Maldini. I went to the museum and realised how big the club actually is. It was a Zoom call and I was just looking at him!
He continued: "Outside of the Premier League, you can make a career, learn a new culture, a new way of playing football. It's definitely a positive and more people are doing it too."
Tomori dropped out of the team in the second half of Lampard's first season and played just once in the Premier League in the former Chelsea midfielder's second campaign in charge prior to Lampard's exit. Tomori's mind was made up.
"It was a difficult time when I wasn't playing," he said. "The opportunity came up with Milan, it just kind of happened and it worked out very well. It all fell into place."
Despite performing at a high level at the San Siro, Tomori has been overlooked by England, particularly Gareth Southgate. His last performance came in the 2-0 win over Malta in November 2023 but there is hope he will feature under new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Lampard at Chelsea.
"I try not to think about it, I focus on what I am doing here," he said. "If I keep on doing what I'm doing, then eventually it's going to come. People ask how I feel about it, but I don't make the decision.
"Obviously, I'd like to be there every time and play in a major tournament, which I haven't done yet and it's something I still want to achieve. It's still my goal to be in the World Cup and the Euros."
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