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AC Milan’s summer addition Mario Gila has revealed he wanted the move ‘at all costs’, while praising the impact of Ruben Amorim so far. Gila was sidelined for three weeks due to a problem with his right rectus femoris, but he’s now fit again. He recovered for the friendly against Manchester United, and when he came on in the second half, Milan gained a bit more defensive stability. Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial! Indeed, the Spaniard is demonstrating why Gerry Cardinale and co. invested €30m including bonuses to sign him. He is a natural leader, the ideal reinforcement for a three-man defence that – along with Amorim – will be called upon to provide quality and speed in the build-up play. Gila spoke in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, shedding light on his summer switch and his initial impressions as a Rossoneri player, as well as what the new coach is bringing in terms of his style. How much did you need a win against United to chase away the negativity of a pre-season with few smiles and many shadows? “I’ll be honest, it was needed. I’m very happy with the win and the team’s performance. I felt this was the ideal match to regain some positivity ahead of the start of Serie A. “I’m very happy that the team played such a match, against a strong opponent like Manchester United. I had a positive feeling, and although we still have work to do, we showed we’re ready for the start of the season.” After your right thigh injury, you came on in the second half. Have you finally put a less than ideal pre-season behind you? “It’s been a strange, unusual month. Unfortunately, I’ve already gotten injured during training. Two years ago, I spent two months injured at Lazio, and I’ve had the same injury in previous years. “I feel better and I’m very happy because the team has such positive energy. When I stepped on the pitch, I felt good with everyone, and I think that helped me.” How is your integration into the group going? “I’ve been welcomed so warmly by everyone. You can often see me smiling and joking with my teammates because I’ve felt at ease since my first training session at Milanello. There’s a positive atmosphere and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.” During the tour in Perth and Jakarta we noticed that there is also a good feeling between the squad and Amorim… “Yes, I immediately felt at ease with the coach. He’s a coach who likes to talk to everyone, who tries to cultivate relationships even off the pitch. I think this is a very important factor within a team.” Amorim wants the defence to be higher than Milan’s last year, and you seem like the perfect fit to bring about this tactical revolution… “Playing with a high line is definitely more risky. Last season I saw AC Milan several times, and they had a different style of play, which was highly respected, especially given the results they achieved, at least until spring. “However, it was a very different style of play than today, and perhaps the team waited more and defended more with a low block. This year, the tactical interpretation is completely different, and the three at the back are much higher, raising the centre of gravity. “It’s true that everything is more difficult and that you run more risks by throwing more meters behind, but this way the team has the ability to win the ball back in a more dangerous area of the pitch. I think our football will be much more proactive and more attacking.” For you defenders, this means always staying fully focused and keeping the right distance from the midfielders… “It’s true, you have to play… down to the last detail, be very precise and synchronized in your movements because otherwise… Against United, we weren’t positioned well a couple of times, and in situations like that, the opponents can easily get to the goal. “But, I repeat, I like this attitude and it suits my characteristics. By playing like this, I think I can help the team a lot.” What does signing for Milan mean to you? “Coming here is kind of like realising a dream for me. Since I was a kid, like everyone else, I thought I’d be a player, but getting to this level… isn’t easy. So it’s a dream. Now I’m trying to stay positive, integrate quickly, and talk to all my teammates. I’m very happy to be at Milan. “We have a good team, and even though I don’t know what the club intends to do until the end of the transfer window, I’m convinced we’re a competitive group. We proved it by playing well against United, and we need to continue on this path.” What progress do you need to make? “There are many things we need to improve: for example, we must not make trivial, presumptuous mistakes or gift goals to our opponents. That said, we have an excellent starting point, and in my opinion, it will allow us to compete at a very high level. Now it’s up to us to continue working to make further progress.” In March-April, when Allegri and Tare were in charge, you were considered a concrete target for Milan. Since then, everything has changed, at the club and on the bench, but you were the first defensive reinforcement. Milan were your destiny… “Yes, definitely. Tare was a very important factor in this decision. I thank him so much because he was one of the people who helped me the most in my career and he definitely put my name in Milan’s mind right from the start, as early as March, when there were still many months left in the season. “For my part, I think I performed excellently with Lazio, and this also made me appeal to Amorim. So in the end, the deal was done, and I’m very happy.” In May and June you were linked with Napoli and Atalanta, but you really wanted Milan… “Yes, I really wanted to join Milan because Tare’s words were very positive about both the team and the club. Then I got a call from Ruben, and he immediately convinced me to come. “Having the coach and the club that wanted me was very important in my decision. Even though other teams wanted me, I always thought Milan was the best choice.” In their first press conference of the season, Cardinale and Amorim made no secret of their desire to win right away. Do you like this ambitious mentality? “Of course. I like winning friendlies, training matches, and any other game. For me, there’s no such thing as… not winning. If we all have this mentality, this desire to move forward game after game in the league and the Europa League, we’ll be able to achieve some success and will certainly bring joy to our fans.” What’s it like playing with Modric? “He’s special. I was lucky enough to know him when I was younger and I was with him at Real Madrid. I trained with the first team, and even though I didn’t get to experience him much, I looked up to him as a role model: he was a player to admire, to watch, and to learn from.” You meet him again after a few years and with a different shirt. Do you still have something to learn from him? “Reuniting with Luka here at Milan is a gift from fate. I enjoy talking to him, getting to know him, and listening to his advice and everything he can pass on to me. I’m sure he’ll help me improve a lot as a player and, above all, in my mentality.”