Gennaro Gattuso comes across as an angry nutter and he's lived up to that reputation with his latest comments about Hachim Mastour.
The young Moroccan moved to the Rossoneri from Reggina for a reported fee of €500,000 (£408,000) in 2012, and after seeing his skills on YouTube, many tipped him for stardom.
Helped by the seal of approval from legendary Milan and Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi, the seven-time European champions beat the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City to his signature, but like many other 'wonderkids' of the past, his career hasn't had the upwards spiral many predicted.
AC Milan looked to have a real gem on their books in and there was optimism that he would make the grade at the San Siro after being named in Clarence Seedorf's squad for a Serie A game against Sassuolo in 2013/14.
However, Mastour is still searching for his Milan debut - with his only outings in professional coming on loan at Malaga and PEC Zwolle, where he managed a total of seven appearances.
The 20-year old has been playing for the Primavera in recent times and though Gattuso says he's noticed improvements - he said he's had to threaten to knock his teeth out. As you do.
"We've talked a lot lately," Gattuso said in today's pre-Verona presser, as per Football Italia.
"I even threatened him because he became more famous for making videos than playing, but he doesn't do that anymore because I told him I'd knock his teeth out!
"In recent months he's improved some things in training and we decided to let him play in the Primavera.
"He needs to play consistently, because we can see he's lost some match sharpness. I've noticed a few improvements though."
Advert
Mastour has been unable to live up to his hype but being so young, he does have time on his side to turn it around.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Football, Serie A, AC Milan, Gennaro Gattuso, Italy