Milan Futuro will compete in Serie C this new season.
At their presentation on Thursday, Ibrahimovic said: “Good morning everyone, welcome. We have officially made the announcement for Milan Futuro. We want talents to have a chance to enter the first team. With the first, Primavera and first tea system, there was too much distance,” he began.
“A young player enters the Primavera at 16-17 years old, you are not physically ready for the first team. With Milan Futuro they will have more time to grow. Serie C is another level, we prepare them to play against adults.
“When you train with the first team there is a lot of difference compared to the Primavera. Milan Futuro will play against adults, it will be very difficult. We need to find balance, it is something new for us too. We are prepared and organised, everything is under control.
“We want to show that we believe in our talents, we want to give them an opportunity to enter the senior team. For Milan the young player is important. Futuro and the first team for us are one team.
“Everything that mister Fonseca does in the first team, Milan Futuro will also do. As if it were copy and paste. Milan Future will also focus on individual training, we want to improve and make young players become men. When you represent Milan you have a great responsibility. You also need discipline.
“There is a distance between the Primavera and the first team (geographically). We moved the Primavera to Vismara to train. When you are in the Primavera you don’t have to be close to the first team, you have to have desire and motivation to reach that dream.
“In the middle there is the Milan Futuro step, where our greatest talents will be. We bring in profiles that will be Milan-ready profiles, talent is not the only thing that counts. Fonseca is not afraid to give opportunities to talents and young players.
“We don’t put all the responsibility on these guys obviously, there will be some with more experience: we need to find a balance. It will be important not to take too many blows, we also need to win matches. We bring in players with Serie C experience to have balance. We need to find the right path.
“The responsibility for Milan Futuro will be Kirovski. He has played in several professional teams, he comes from the USA. He worked with the LA Galaxy, for us he is a high-level profile.
“The coach will be Daniele Bonera. He has great experience as a footballer, he played for Milan for many years. He got his coaching license, he was on Pioli’s staff and had a great relationship with the young players.
“He gained experience in the first team, for us he is the right choice because it is important to have a communication relationship with the first team. He has no ego, he must be open: when Fonseca needs something he must be available and open to a dynamic situation.
“The first team and Futuro will be a unique team for us. We are happy and confident. Choosing a coach in this situation is not easy: the coaches in the academy think too much about the results. Maybe they choose players who are more ready than players who have more potential.
“For them it is important to make a career. For us, however, it is important to have coaches who think about the growth of the players: the merit of a coach is when the young players arrive in the first team. Welcome Daniele Bonera.”