Milan were beaten by Borussia Dortmund in their first Chinese friendly, but Franck Kessié was impressive.
The Ivorian midfielder joined from Atalanta this summer, and could have everything required to become a top-class midfielder in the future.
Words: Luca LaPorta
In Milan's first competitive pre-season match of the summer, with most of their players from last season in the starting line-up, Borussia Dortmund came out on top 3-1 with a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a Nuri Sahin strike, with Carlos Bacca getting on the score sheet for the Diavolo.
With four of the Rossoneri's new signings currently on a plane in transit to China, Franck Kessié and Ricardo Rodriguez were the lone new comers in the starting lineup against the Bundesliga side.
With Europa League qualifiers around the corner in nine days, the players' fitness levels are more crucial than results at this stage, and the player who has really caught the eye of most Milanisti is the Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessié.
After a stellar performance against Swiss outfit Lugano a week ago, the 20-year-old followed up with a dominant outing against BVB, controlling the midfield and beginning to justify his reported €28m obligation price tag in two years time.
Milan's midfield has been a consistent issue since the departures of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and others from more than five years ago. With the purchase of an up and coming typical box-to-box midfielder like Kessié, the middle of the park will be drastically improved for this season, having Lucas Biglia as the regista pulling the strings as well.
Aside from Leonardo Bonucci, André Silva and the other newcomers, Franck Kessié may prove to be the most crucial signing for Marco Fassone and Massimo Mirabelli, as he is and will be a very special, dynamic player for several years to come.
Kessié set about proving that with a dominant performance against Dortmund, giving Milanisti even more reason for optimism going into the season.
