Fikayo Tomori has the same desire to impress Milan legend Paolo Maldini as any striker would to win favour with Lionel Messi.
The on-loan Chelsea centre-back is desperate to make his mark at San Siro, where Maldini – widely regarded as the greatest defender of all time – is the technical director.
Maldini's storied career saw him win seven Serie A titles and five European Cups, with 126 Italy caps to his name.
And Tomori feels such lofty achievements put Maldini on a par with Barcelona superstar Messi.
"Having Maldini as head of the technical area is like having to deal with Messi as a sporting director for a striker," the 23-year-old told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"You want to impress him every day."
Milan have an option to buy Tomori and he has certainly made himself at home there and in the Italian top flight in general, with Serie A providing a steep learning curve.
"I was a little surprised to have immediately entered the hearts of the Rossoneri fans, but it makes sense given the character of the people here," said Tomori. "It was easy to settle in, they were all so friendly.
"Serie A is like a university for defenders. I'm growing up and learning everything I can."
Stefano Pioli's side are six points behind Inter in the race for the Scudetto, but Tomori is refusing to give up hope.
The Rossoneri have 10 matches left to reel in their rivals, who have a game in hand.
"The gap up to Inter is great, but I don't see why we shouldn't believe in it until the end," he said. "Returning to the Champions League is an excellent target.
"But as a player, you must think about the big goal, and we know we can do something special."
With his stock rising, speculation over Tomori's future continues to build but he does not want to be distracted by talk over his future.
"The goal is to be among the best in the world in my role, as soon as possible," Tomori added. "I work for this every day."
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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