Bakayoko says ‘father figure’ Gattuso has passed on his warrior spirit

Tiemoue Bakayoko

The 24-year-old joined the Rossoneri on loan with the option to buy last summer, but he endured a difficult start to life in Serie A as he struggled to adapt to Italian football.

Gattuso publicly criticised Bakayoko’s "defects" after a 3-2 defeat to Napoli in Milan’s opening game of the season, but he has since become one of the club’s standout performers and formed a strong bond with the former Italy international.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.