AC Milan defender Simon Kjaer appreciates his relationship with coach Stefano Pioli.

The Dane is delighted Pioli stayed this season.

He said, “He asked me an advice on day one. He asked me what I thought about the way to defend and how we could build up as a team. He inquired into how he could give me the best chances of success on the field. He has shown me enormous trust, and he still does.

“For me, he is a fantastically skilled coach, both on and off the field. But where he has impressed me the most is on a personal level. He is primarily interested in how I feel as a person and then as a football player. I really appreciate that.

“[At the end of the last season] there was one of those situations where you cannot do anything at all.

“I went on the field to make sure we could win some matches and show our worth as a team. Then I just had to sit back and cross my fingers. And, luckily, it all ended very well.

“Once in a while you just have to remind yourself that you are playing for Milan. I can sit there and be a little proud of it once in a while, but when I'm on the field, it's a workplace, like all sorts of other workplaces."