Tijjani Reijnders, who joined Manchester City from AC Milan this summer, gave an exclusive interview to camel.live and talked about how he came to the decision to leave Milan.
Tijjani, how does it feel to leave Milan for Manchester City?
Leaving Milan was really hard, because I built deep relationships with everyone there—with the fans, teammates, the coaching staff… All of that made it emotionally difficult to leave, but…
Go on?
Then Manchester City made me an offer, and from a sporting perspective, this was the best decision for me.
Is moving from Milan to Manchester City just a step forward in terms of the Champions League?
If you look at the situation of these two clubs over the past few years, I think this is a step forward from every perspective. Just look at the number of trophies Manchester City has won in recent years—plus there’s a great coach here, and if you look at the players the club has, it’s clear. I have a lot of affection for Milan, but some opportunities only come once in a lifetime…
After you left, Milan signed four midfielders—namely Yashari, Rabiot, Rici, and Modrić—to replace you. Will this leave a hard void to fill?
I don’t know if Milan signed so many midfielders just because I left (with a smile), but they did bring in a lot of quality midfielders. I hope they can give their all to get Milan back to where it deserves to be: competing in the Champions League and fighting for trophies.
With a strong start to the season, does Milan now have what it takes to win the league title?
Absolutely! Milan has built a strong team, and I wish them all the best in winning the Serie A title.
