Stefano Pioli

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be a Milan player again in the 2020-21 season after signing a new contract with the Serie A club.

Former Sweden international Ibrahimovic has scored eight goals in 18 appearances since returning to the Serie A club on a short-term deal. 

The 38-year-old's arrival has coincided with an upturn in form for Milan in the second half of the campaign, including a run of 11 games without defeat since last month's restart. 

And Pioli has underlined Ibrahimovic's importance to the side, not only in terms of scoring goals but also creating opportunities for others. 

"Ibra has improved us in many ways on the pitch, giving us solutions we didn't previously have," Pioli said at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday. 

"He has an important presence both physically and technically and creates a lot of space for his team-mates. Regarding his personality and character, he was definitely decisive." 

Centre-back Simon Kjaer has also impressed since joining from Sevilla at the turn of the year, forming a solid partnership with Alessio Romagnoli at the heart of the defence. 

Pioli, who last week agreed a new two-year deal to stay on as Milan boss, is after more of the same from his in-form side ahead of the trip to Sampdoria. 

"Kjaer is doing well and is another January signing that has contributed in an important way," Pioli said. 

"We now have a couple of games remaining. We should face each game with the right determination and concentration. 

"The matches must be played with great respect. Sampdoria are doing well and gave Juventus difficulties. They are playing with ease because they have reached their target." 

Milan drew 1-1 with Atalanta last time out to extend their unbeaten run and Pioli has fifth-placed Roma in his sights with two games to go. 

"We have to believe we can catch them," he said. "We don't have much time and it is not just up to us. 

"We are focused on tomorrow's game against Sampdoria, who know how to cover the field well. We will have to be at our best. 

"Winning is the only way we can have any hope. Then we will wait for Roma's result [against Torino]. I'll ask my players for one final effort." 

Ibrahimovic netted both of his goals in the first 16 minutes – the opener coming from a rebound after a penalty he won was saved – to maintain Milan's perfect start to the campaign.

He had missed four games and not played for almost a month after contracting COVID-19, but the 39-year-old made up for lost time with his match-winning brace at San Siro on Saturday.

"I was so hungry. They locked the wrong animal in the house," he told MTV. 

"It is not easy mentally to always be at homecoming from a very high pace – the body is shaking because it wants to work, it wants to play. 

"I stayed at home and have waited for him to pass to return with the team and work with the team."

Ibrahimovic, who now has five goals in three appearances this season, lasted the full 90 minutes against Milan despite his lack of playing time over the past month.

And it was revealed after the match that the Swedish striker asked to be substituted, only for head coach Stefano Pioli to keep him on until the end.

"He was very tired and even asked to come off, but this time I was the one who ignored him!" Pioli told Sky Sport Italia. 

"Zlatan is extraordinary, he brings so much to the side with his talent, determination and character. He's an exemplary professional, gives everything for his team, wants to win everything from a cup Final to a training ground routine.

" I can't take any credit for dealing with Ibrahimovic, as it's very easy."

Romelu Lukaku pulled one back for Inter just before the half-hour mark and had a penalty shout turned down by VAR in the second half.

Achraf Hakimi also wasted a good headed opportunity for Inter as Antonio Conte's side pushed for a leveller but Milan held on for to seal the bragging rights.

Not since 1995 have they won four straight league games at the start of a season, though Pioli can still see room for improvement as he put talk of a Scudetto challenge in perspective.

"The team spirit is incredible, we work hard for our cause," he said. "We won every game this season, but none of them were easy.

"That means we have to improve tactically and technically, because we cannot always rely on character.

"I like to think positive and consider myself an optimist, but I also acknowledge there are at least three or four clubs who invested more than we did and are at a more advanced stage. 

"We are ambitious, but largely invested for the future. There are seven clubs at a high level in Serie A right now and only four of them will be happy with a Champions League spot at the end of the season.

"If you want to challenge for the Scudetto, you need to raise the quality level of the squad. Even then, it takes a lot of time, there are sides that invested far more and haven't done as well.

"The club has been wise to lay the foundations and build upon them going forward."

Ibrahimovic opened the scoring with a stunning first-half free-kick in Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Genoa, a result that moved Milan within a point of leaders Napoli, who squandered a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo.

The victory was a welcome return to form for Milan, having gone from unbeaten domestically to licking their wounds following back-to-back league defeats.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli signed a contract extension last week and Ibrahimovic wants to be the next to put pen to paper as the evergreen 40-year-old eyes silverware with the club.

"I have fun, before the match, we had already decided how long I would have played," Ibrahimovic said to Sky Sport Italia after the match. "These guys make me have fun and feel young.

"We had made errors that cost us the previous two games. It was all our fault, not our opponents' merit, but we won today and we remain up there.

"Now I have to renew. I am happy for [Pioli] because he deserves [his contract extension], if he renews, I renew. Pioli has done a great job.

"I am happy for the fans. For so many years, they have not enjoyed as they are enjoying now. I want to make them happy, but if we don't win a trophy we haven't done anything."

Ibrahimovic's goal was his 153rd goal in Serie A, drawing level with Stefano Nyers and Hernan Crespo in 26th place among the top scorers in the Italian competition.

His 73 league goals for Milan also took Swedish forward Ibrahimovic to 10th in Milan's standings, alongside Filippo Inzaghi.

Once Pioli had penned his own terms, the 56-year-old revealed that Ibrahimovic wasted no time in contacting him to ask for a new contract. 

The Milan boss praised his team's performance against Genoa, particularly the connection between Ibrahimovic and his team-mates.

"Zlatan is the only player who sent me a message as soon as I signed my contract," Pioli said to Sky Sport Italia. "It said congratulations, Mister, now sort mine out!

"That's Zlatan for you! This is a season that can give us satisfaction, I don't know how far we can go.

"We played with intensity and determination for the whole game this evening and unfortunately we are not a team that can do the bare minimum. We've got to give it our all, or we are not superior to the opposition.

"The arrival of Zlatan improved everything, certainly, but his team-mates also did well to accept his way of motivating them.

"At the same time, Zlatan has to thank his team-ates, because he has come back to being the great player he was a few years ago. It's give and take for them both."

The France international began the campaign in fine form, starting every game as Milan collected 19 points to match their best start to a league campaign after seven games.

But Maignan, signed from Lille for €15million to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma, underwent surgery on his left wrist in mid-October and was expected to miss around 10 weeks. 

However, having recently returned to training, the 26-year-old is now considered fit enough to make his comeback against Sassuolo in place of Ciprian Tatarusanu, who made a calamitous error in Milan's 4-3 defeat to Fiorentina last time out in Serie A.

"Maignan is fine. He has been working with the team for a week and is ready," Pioli said at Saturday's pre-match news conference. 

"He is back sooner because he has a great mentality. He is fine and will play tomorrow. Tatarusanu has done his duties well, but [Maignan] will return."

Maignan kept a league-high 21 clean sheets in 38 games for Ligue 1 champions Lille last season – seven more than next-best Keylor Navas and Benoit Costil.

The Frenchman's save percentage of 78.26 in seven Serie A games this season, meanwhile, is behind only Sergio Romero (80.56) and David Ospina (80.65) among those to have played more than twice.

Tatarusanu, for comparison, has saved 60 per cent of the shots he has faced in the six league games he has filled in for Maignan this term, keeping only one clean sheet.

Pioli also confirmed that centre-back Fikayo Tomori is closing in on a return from injury and is likely to be available for Wednesday's trip to Genoa.

Before that, Milan welcome Sassuolo to San Siro with the aim of keeping their hopes of a first Scudetto success in 11 years on track.

Milan last lost successive games in Serie A in April, which includes a 2-1 home loss at the hands of Sassuolo, but Pioli is fully focused on bouncing back.

"We have a chance tomorrow to get back on track in the league," said Pioli, who signed a new contract with the club on Friday.

"Winning games makes a difference and we all know we need to raise our game. We showed in Madrid that we have good quality in the squad, both technically and mentally."

The Rossoneri got their Serie A title defence off to a victorious start at San Siro as they beat Udinese 4-2, but had to come from behind after conceding just 90 seconds into the new season when Rodrigo Becao headed in a corner.

A penalty from Theo Hernandez and an Ante Rebic strike quickly turned things around, only for Adam Masina to head in an equaliser just before half-time.

Brahim Diaz restored Milan's lead less than a minute into the second half, before Rebic wrapped things up with just over 20 minutes to go.

While Pioli was clearly unhappy with conceding twice, he did acknowledge that his side recovered and played some of the football that saw them win their first Scudetto in 11 years last season.

"I didn't like conceding so early; we have to start better," he told DAZN. "Then we played half an hour of great football, against a very dangerous and physical opponent.

"We conceded two goals from crosses, we had to work much better. We will review everything and deal with these situations better.

"Sometimes we are more determined when we defend high instead of in front of our penalty area. This is a serious mistake, and we must not repeat it next Sunday against an opponent like Atalanta."

Rebic scored twice, his first Serie A goals at San Siro in 482 days, having not registered a league goal on home soil since playing Genoa in April 2021.

"Ante is a very strong player," Pioli added. "He knows how to move, he knows how to tie the game, he has all the characteristics to be important. He worked for the team, he really gave us a lot, so congratulations [to him]."

New signings Charles de Ketelaere and Divock Origi made their debuts from the bench, with the former putting the ball in the back of the net only to see it disallowed for a foul by the latter.

Pioli was asked about De Ketelaere, a big-money arrival from Club Brugge, and suggested the Belgium international will need more time before starting.

"The [first] impressions are very positive, he is an intelligent guy," he said.

"He can read situations in advance... He still doesn't have the best possible condition [fitness-wise]. He was probably used to working between the lines more, we aim to fill those spaces with more players.

"There is no doubt about his talent, but he comes from a different league and will need the time to understand this football. "

Slip-ups from Inter, Lazio and Roma gave Milan the chance to strike an important blow in the Champions League race on Monday, and they looked set to do so when Giroud headed the opener on the stroke of half-time.

However, Salernitana hit back through Dia just after the hour mark, before a VAR review denied Milan a penalty when Ismael Bennacer went down easily under Domagoj Bradaric's challenge.

The result means Milan remain fourth, just a point clear of fifth-placed Roma in a tense battle for Champions League qualification.

While Milan dominated possession from the off, Salernitana kept them quiet until the half-hour mark, when Giroud sent a trademark overhead kick narrowly over the crossbar.

Salernitana then squandered two chances on the break, with Grigoris Kastanos' effort deflecting wide after a loose pass from Mike Maignan, before the Milan goalkeeper made a fine last-ditch challenge to prevent Dia rounding him.

The visitors' resistance was broken just before half-time as Giroud met Bennacer's corner at the near post to glance a header into the bottom-left corner. 

Salernitana hit back after the restart as Bradaric led a Salernitana break down the left, with his driven cross turned beyond Maignan by a stretching Dia.

Milan threw on Zlatan Ibrahimovic in search of a winner and saw referee Federico La Penna reverse a decision to award them a spot-kick, while Guillermo Ochoa denied Divock Origi with a fine save late on.

Ochoa was involved again as Milan went agonisingly close to a winner late on, somehow clawing the ball away from the goal line following a scramble.

Milan top Serie A after a fantastic start to their campaign, dropping points just once in a frantic 3-3 draw with Roma.

The Rossoneri's long unbeaten run in all competitions came to a shuddering halt on Thursday, however, as they suffered their first defeat in 242 days, going down 3-0 to Lille in the Europa League.

Milan have scored 14 times in the league this term – behind only Inter (15), Atalanta (17) and Sassuolo (18) – while Pioli's side have conceded only five goals, tied with Juventus for the second-fewest in the division. Sunday's opponents Hellas Verona have the league's best defence, conceding just three times.

However, after finishing sixth last season, Pioli believes the plaudits Milan had received prior to their defeat to Lille were over the top, although he claimed the same can also be said of the subsequent criticism of his players, with Alessio Romagnoli and Theo Hernandez coming under particular scrutiny. 

"We create our own pressure and are very tough on ourselves, because we want to be ambitious," Pioli told reporters.

"We're not interested in what the pundits say. The important thing is to concentrate and try to win games.

"Criticism and praise are always excessive in football, so I am not remotely worried about Romagnoli, Hernandez or anyone else who is singled out.

"Our problem against Lille was that we weren’t sharp enough in our choices, didn't read the spaces they left for us, but we can analyse this and learn from it.

"We lowered the level of our performance against the wrong opponent, so we must be ready to step it back up again. [Sunday] is another opportunity to prove what we can do and show what level we are at.

"An off-day was bound to happen, we've played 10 games in 21 days, so we have to be ready to deal with that both mentally and physically. Against Lille, we found an opponent in great physical shape."

Milan have never lost a home league game against Verona, who have not won away in the league since January.

Kick-off between Parma and SPAL was delayed for over an hour as Italian authorities considered whether all Serie A games should be suspended amid the ongoing battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

Milan were still unsure of the final decision when they left the training ground for an empty San Siro, with no fans allowed at any sporting event until April 3.

However, Pioli, who received backing from the club on Saturday as chief football officer Zvonimir Boban was relieved of his duties, was unwilling to use either of those events as an excuse for a dismal display.

"Clearly, playing without a crowd isn't football. That is true for all the teams, even more so for the hosts," Pioli told DAZN.

"Besides all that, we had the chance to prove our quality, that we had the strength to go past all of these issues and still win it, but we didn't win, and it was largely our own fault.

"When we left our training ground on the bus to get here, Parma-SPAL had not yet kicked off and we didn't know if it was going to. Clearly, that wasn't helpful, but we were in the same situation as our opponents, so again, that cannot be used as an excuse.

"As to whether Serie A should continue, there are people who know far more about the situation than me.

"We need no excuses or justifications, not for being behind closed doors, nor for any difficulties within the club or debates. We should've been more determined in certain key moments of the match.

"We have no excuses, we ought to do much better than this. It's difficult to say you didn't play well when you spent most of the game in the opposition half and had 22 shots on goal. It was not a technical or tactical issue, it was a lack of determination.

"It was such a good opportunity to prove that we felt strong and could overcome the obstacles, but it was a surreal situation for our opponents too. We failed to show determination at the right moments and that has nothing to do with playing behind closed doors or chaos within the club."

Asked about claims made by Boban that Pioli is a lame duck because Milan agreed a deal with Ralf Rangnick in December, the coach replied: "I read it, to be honest, I have to remain concentrated on my work.

"I am not worried about my future, I don't know what will happen, this is part of the job. This is a prestigious club and we have to end the season as well as possible.

"It's not my decision, all I can do is work well and try to end the season as well as we can. The rest of that is not something I can really discuss."

Milan are without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Mandzukic, Ismael Bennacer, Hakan Calhanoglu, Theo Hernandez and Ante Rebic for Thursday's first leg.

The Italian side travel to Old Trafford with just two strikers in their squad – Rafael Leao and academy product Riccardo Tonin, who has yet to feature at senior level.

However, Milan were also far from full strength for their 2-0 league win at Hellas Verona last weekend and Pioli is hoping to build confidence from that victory.

"We have a choice to make: either let ourselves be overwhelmed by the negative waves or ride the positive ones of confidence," he said. 

"We will choose to ride it and I'm sure the team will put in a good performance against a difficult opponent.

"Winning our last game gives us momentum. When we play at our best we do well and against United we will be prepared.

"We have to play this type of game to our fullest ability. A positive result would give us momentum in view of the return match."

Milan are meeting United for the 11th time in a competitive match, though all 10 previous encounters have come in either the European Cup or Champions League.

The Rossoneri have not competed in Europe's flagship competition since 2013-14, while English heavyweights United exited the tournament at the group stage.

Both teams are second in their domestic leagues and United enter the match on the back of an impressive 2-0 win at Manchester City last time out.

But Pioli does not believe the winners of the two-legged affair should necessarily be considered the favourites to go all the way and lift the trophy.

"I don't think so. There are many other teams that have a chance to win it," he said. "But of course it is a prestigious match with a lot of history and past.

"We are working hard to get back to winning trophies. As [technical director Paolo] Maldini said, it takes a couple of years of continued presence in the Champions League.

"We need to tackle this path with enthusiasm and conviction."

Thursday's clash will mark a first return to Old Trafford for Diogo Dalot since joining Milan on loan last October.

The full-back struggled for appearances at United but has been used 20 times in all competitions by Pioli, including eight outings in the Europa League.

"We are happy with his performance and his growth," Pioli said. "As far as his future is concerned, we are too focused on the league and on the Europa League for that.

"Besides, it is not me who makes a decision about his future."

Milan have been eliminated on six of the last seven occasions in which they have reached the last 16 of a major European competition.

However, they have got the better of United in four of their previous five knockout ties in European competition, with no side eliminating the Red Devils more often.

The Rossoneri are second in Serie A but 19 points adrift of champions Inter, and their fans suffered witnessing their fierce rivals secure the Scudetto in the recent derby win at San Siro.

That has only increased media reports about Pioli's dismissal once the season ends, with fans also protesting at the situation Milan face.

"My task shouldn't be complicated, there are four games left," Pioli told a press conference before Sunday's home game against Genoa.

"It's true that outside they talk about everything except the games, but not us. We have a great sense of responsibility. Then we'll see what the future is at the end of the season."

Some Italian reports have suggested Pioli could move to Napoli, though the Milan head coach refuted those claims.

"No thoughts, other than the next four games. At the end of the season, I'll meet with Milan and we'll see what to do," Pioli said.

"You've waited a long time, wait a little longer to talk about the future, the work is not done. The reality is I have another year on my contract with Milan and I won't speak to any other club while I'm under contract."

The atmosphere is tense around the club, and Milan ultras have announced they will not support the team against Genoa, remaining in silence without any banners or flags, as a form of protest against the owners.

"Our fans have always been an added value, especially in difficult moments. And I don't forget it," Pioli continued.

"They have taken this position and we respect it, then we have to do everything to win the game."

Milan have a five-point lead over Juventus in third and Genoa are 12th on 42 points, moving out of relegation danger.

The Rossoneri were dismal at Stadio Alberto Picco and failed to register a single attempt on target in a league game for the first time since August 2019 as goals from Giulio Maggiore and Simone Bastoni sealed a famous 2-0 triumph for the hosts. 

It marked the first time Milan had lost a top-flight game to a newly-promoted side since they were defeated by Benevento in April 2018. 

The result means Inter – who Milan face next weekend – can leapfrog their rivals at the league summit if they overcome Lazio on Sunday.

Milan have now lost three times in the league this season and Pioli said this was the first reverse that was deserved. 

"It will be a valuable lesson for all of us; we realise that if we don't perform at a certain level, we will be embarrassed like this," he told DAZN.

"Spezia won deservedly. This is our first deserved defeat of the season as we did not have enough quality or intensity and our opponents quite rightly took advantage.

"We are not a team capable of really winning ugly. We always try to focus on passing, intensity and tempo, so if we lack those elements, we are not as effective.

"We struggled throughout the game, nothing worked, including my choices and the performances of the players. Obviously, this isn't what Milan are like, so we need to prove that from next week.

"Perhaps we weren't sharp enough to react to the difficulties that Spezia provided. We did expect them to be aggressive and had prepared counter-measures, but they didn't work and we made mistakes, so nothing went right.

"If we don't move the ball around quickly enough, we allow our opponents to get back into shape and become predictable. Nothing worked this evening, on the ball or off it."

Milan face Red Star Belgrade in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 tie on Thursday and Pioli is expecting a much improved performance from his side.

"We're well aware of how negative this performance was, just as we're well aware of the difficulty of the games coming up and well aware of what Milan are capable of," he added.

"Anyone who saw us in training this week would not have expected this performance, and yet it happened. It was an off night, we need to get back on track.

"This was a bad performance, it's only right we leave the field with our heads down, but from tomorrow we get back on our feet."

With this shock victory, Spezia have now picked up more Serie A points against sides currently in the top half of the table (13) than those they have earned against teams in the bottom half (11).

There are other teams who could also be a factor, but Napoli are the side who have made a flying start, and defending champions Milan were their closest challengers heading into this weekend.

The Rossoneri head coach says it is not essential that his team head the table when the World Cup break comes around next month, but he is wary of letting Napoli build any sort of substantial lead.

Luciano Spalletti's team have already beaten Milan this season, which remains the only league defeat suffered by Pioli's men through 11 rounds of games.

On Sunday, Milan head to Torino, and they only managed a goalless draw in the corresponding game last season.

With only three more Serie A matchdays remaining after this weekend before the World Cup leads to a seven-week pause, Pioli wants Milan to go into the interval on a high.

"We started at the beginning of the season with two objectives: to be as advanced as possible in the league on November 13 and to overcome the group in the Champions League," Pioli said.

Milan will have achieved the second of those aims if they avoid defeat to Salzburg at San Siro on Wednesday, as the games come thick and fast.

"We have many important games in a few days, but the team are doing well," Pioli said. "I have players who are available and strong.

"I will field those who I consider appropriate to win these challenges. Tomorrow is the most important, we are prepared to face it in the best possible way.

"We need to score as many points as possible. It will not be decisive to be first on November 13, but you have to get above 85 points. The more games you win now, the better."

It is not always the case, but passing 85 points is usually enough to land a Scudetto. The last team to top that mark but miss out on the title were Napoli in the 2017-18 season, when they posted 91 but finished four points behind Juventus.

Milan accumulated 86 points last term to pip Inter by two points.

Torino sit 10th in the table, and Pioli said Milan would need to show "quality and personality" on Sunday, predicting heavy pressure from the hosts.

"We want to give continuity by looking for a streak of results as long as possible. Napoli are doing very well and winning on Sunday would be important," Pioli said.

Brahim Diaz, who scored twice in the 4-1 win over Monza last weekend before being substituted with a muscle injury, has been passed fit for the game in Turin.

Milan ended their 11-year wait to finish top of Serie A with a 3-0 win at Sassuolo on Sunday, rendering Inter's win at home to Sampdoria by the same scoreline meaningless.

The Rossoneri finished two points ahead of erstwhile champions Inter to claim their first trophy since the 2016 Italian Super Cup some 1,976 days ago.

Pioli's men won their final five matches and went 15 without defeat to see out the campaign, with their final tally of 88 points their second best ever in the three-points-per-win era.

And after a gripping title battle with Inter that went down to the final game – the first time that has happened in Serie A since 2009-10 – Pioli was full of praise for his players.

"They are phenomenal," he told DAZN. "I am happy for them, for myself, for the fans, the club. This Scudetto makes us all very happy.

"We showed more consistency than Inter. The last game we lost was against Spezia in January and even then we shouldn't have lost it.

"The team never gave up; all the players were fantastic. We fully deserved this Scudetto because we believed in it more. We are a strong team and I have great staff around me."

Olivier Giroud scored twice for Milan in their title-clinching win at Sassuolo and Franck Kessie added a third before half-time.

Rafael Leao assisted two of those strikes and has been involved in at least one goal in his past six league appearances, including three strikes of his own.

The Portugal international was named as Serie A's Most Valuable Player for 2021-22, while Pioli was named Coach of the Year.

"I have the players and the club to thank for that," Pioli said. "This award is for them. Without them what we achieved would not have been possible."

The 39-year-old revealed in an interview with Sky Italia that he informed Pioli of his desire to leave San Siro in the close season to be closer to his family.

However, after initially accepting Ibrahimovic's choice, Pioli later managed to convince the ex-Sweden international to stay on at Milan and sign a 12-month extension.

"I told him I would call it a day, as I thought of the sacrifices and my family being in Sweden," Ibrahimovic recalled.

"Pioli told me: 'I respect that'. However, the next day, he called me again. [He said] 'I let you go too easy, but if you don't stay, it'll be a different team'. I went on vacation, but then I thought this is a fascinating and difficult challenge.

"I didn't want to hang up my boots feeling regret. So I called Mino [Raiola, his agent] and told him to close the deal."

Ibrahimovic has continued his fine form from the second half of last season into this term and Pioli is pleased he was able to talk the former Manchester United star into staying.

"With each player I try to be direct. When you speak from the heart you are more easily heard," Piolo said at a news conference previewing Sunday's trip to Sampdoria.

"I told him that, considering where we started this journey, it would not be the right time to interrupt it.

"I told him to think carefully and that me [Paolo] Maldini, Frederic [Massara] and [Ivan] Gazidis would do everything possible to convince him. We are happy he is here."

Ibrahimovic returned to Milan at the start of the year after two seasons with LA Galaxy and has scored 20 Serie A goals in that time.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo (29) and Ciro Immobile (25) have scored more in 2020 among Serie A stars, while Ibrahimovic's six assists is bettered by just 10 other players.

His haul includes a return of 11 goals in 10 league matches this term, including a brace in Milan's 3-1 win over Napoli last month before limping off with a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since.

That double saw him match Gunnar Nordahl for the second-most Serie A goals from the first eight games played of a season, only adrift of Marco Van Basten (12 in 1992-93).

Ibrahimovic is also the oldest player to net at least 10 goals in the first eight Serie A matchdays, but he has once again been ruled out of this weekend's clash with Sampdoria.

Norway international Jens Petter Hauge is one of those to have profited from Ibrahimovic's absence, the 21-year-old scoring twice in Milan's last four matches.

"He has important qualities and we are lucky to have him on the pitch," Pioli said of the youngster. "He can still grow a lot but he is very intelligent.

"We have other players in that position but the important thing is he is proving to be a useful option to the team."

Since Europe's top leagues resumed post-lockdown, Milan are one of two teams alongside Manchester City with five players to have scored at least five goals - Ibrahimovic (17), Franck Kessie, Hakan Calhanoglu, Rafael Leao (all six) and Ante Rebic (5).

Calhanoglu was also on target in Thursday's 4-2 win over Celtic in the Europa League, as was Brahim Diaz, and Pioli is considering using one or both of the pair in a false nine position.

"I use the players where they can express themselves best," he said. "Diaz and Calhanoglu are both attacking midfielders, with one preferring a right-of-centre position and the other centre left.

"Many times we have played with false nines, even when Ibra is available. The most important thing is that they both give us solutions between the lines and provide us with more depth in attack."

The former Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig boss has been repeatedly linked with the San Siro post for months.

Reports in Italy have frequently portrayed the deal as being effectively done, but that does not tally with Rangnick's explanation.

Rangnick currently works behind the scenes with Leipzig, as well as other football clubs tied to Red Bull, in his role as the energy drinks merchant's head of sport and development.

Asked about the Milan job, Rangnick told German broadcaster MDR on Friday: "There is nothing to it.

"There were once loose enquiries. But such a statement has nothing to do with reality."

That may come as some surprise to former Milan chief football officer Zvonimir Boban, who claimed after his March exit from the club that a deal for Rangnick had been agreed last December.

Stefano Pioli is head coach of Milan, having been appointed in October after a difficult start to the season under previous boss Marco Giampaolo.

But the club are reportedly set to let Alexandre Lacazette go, leaving them short in experienced attacking options.

Manager Mikel Arteta is known as a meticulous planner and wants to be ready for Lacazette's departure.

TOP STORY – GUNNERS SET SIGHTS ON DCL AND WATKINS

Arsenal have Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins in their sights as they plan for Lacazette's exit, so say The Sun.

Lacazette is in the final year of his contract and the Gunners are unlikely to offer him a new deal, meaning he will depart either in January or at the end of the season as a free agent.

Arteta wants back-up to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and has the England forwards on the club's shortlist.

ROUND-UP

– Cash-strapped Barcelona have €16m to spend in the January transfer window according to Mundo Deportivo, with the publication also claiming Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling is among their top targets, potentially on loan given their financial challenges.

– Robert Lewandowski appears to have had a change of heart and will renew his deal with Bayern Munich, reports Fichajes. The star striker had been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga champions.

– MilanNews.it reports that Milan are in negotiations with head coach Stefano Pioli about extending his contract following a bright start to the season.

– Man City are keeping an eye on Barcelona's 19-year-old midfielder Nico Gonzalez, according to Fichajes.

The Rossoneri were held to a stalemate by the visitors to San Siro on Friday, missing the chance to consolidate their top-four spot after Inter had also drawn at Salernitana.

Having stunned the runaway title favourites Napoli 4-0 on their own patch last Sunday, Milan could not find the net this time despite having 23 shots, though only four were on target.

Pioli felt his side did all they could, but also suggested their performance reflected an anticipated comedown of sorts.

"It's not the result we wanted," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We had to do better in the first half. We played with great intensity.

"We conceded little to them, and in the second half, we did everything [we had to]. The ball just didn't want to go in.

"Goals are expected from the forwards if we create the chances. We needed to fill the area better. We lacked something to win.

"It's been a long time since we played with this level of energy and intensity, and I'm sorry. We wanted to win again after Napoli.

"But in my opinion, we're returning to the level [where we should be]. We need to improve our game, and we are doing that."

Milan face Napoli again next week, this time with the pair meeting for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at San Siro.