Gennaro Gattuso has revealed that he tried to take Sandro Tonali to one of AC Milan’s rivals, before his boyhood club swooped.
In Italy’s huge 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semi-final last night, the undisputed star was Tonali. The midfielder carried the Azzurri, scoring the opening goal and being one of the few players to consistently show some character.
The Azzurri won the first of two games that separate them from World Cup qualification, and Tonali would also get a lovely assist for Moise Kean’s got that made it two-nil. It came just hours after talk of a potential summer move had emerged from Newcastle, where he plays his club football.
After the game, Sandro likened the goal to the one he scored away against Lazio in the Scudetto-winning season in terms of its importance.
During the post-match press conference, the inevitable comparison between Tonali and current coach Gattuso arose. His response was relayed by Radio Rossonera.
“Sandro is a complete player. I only knew how to do one thing on the pitch, while he can do many more, combining quality and quantity in a modern way,” he said.
“I tried to sign him when I was coaching Napoli, I mentioned his name to the club because I could already see his potential then, but Milan were better and quicker in closing the deal.”
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