Ilicic is no longer part of the Atalanta squad, Gasperini announced: "Miranchuk is his replacement."
Ilicic is no longer part of the Atalanta squad . The player had not even taken part in the Champions League Final Eight due to personal problems.
For the Slovenian footballer it would have been a trauma to pass the coronavirus quarantine in a city like Bergamo between ambulance sirens and coffins transported by military trucks.
An explanation of Ilicic's health conditions was given some time ago by Repubblica in an article signed by Franco Vanni.
"Josip Ilicic suffered the months of lockdown in Bergamo, with the daily count of the dead, the images of the coffins transported by military trucks, the fear of doing even the simplest things and the metamorphosis of human contact: from a source of comfort to danger of contagion.
Only doctors can tell if his is depression, because it is an illness and not a simple state of mind.
Atalanta, who owe him a lot, did everything they could. His comrades, the club and Gasperini himself have pushed their limits in a mission that is too big even for them ”.
A few hours ago, however, the news of Ilicic's exclusion from the Atalanta squad. Gasperini's statements are reported by Ansa.
“I don't want to hear about the last four years and the records, which exist to be broken, anymore. I am about to start from scratch: whoever stands still and only thinks about repeating himself, in the end comes back ”.
Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta coach, wants to raise the bar on the second day of pre-season work.
Gasperini asks for reinforcements on the market:
"Miranchuk has been singled out as a replacement for Ilicic's defection, even though he's not deputy Ilicic."
“We cannot set ourselves goals like the Scudetto or the Champions League semi-final: they are part of the journalistic fantasy.
We want to improve by strengthening our staff – explains the Nerazzurri coach -. The way we came out of the Champions League, with two goals taken in comeback after the ninetieth and Gomez and Freuler who got hurt, he still has to gnaw at us ”. (sources La Repubblica and ANSA).
Source: Blitz Quotidiano