Italy Legend Paolo Maldini Lambasts Yoann Gourcuff’s Attitude While With Milan

Yoann Gourcuff failed with Milan simply because he didn't apply himself, Paolo Maldini has explained.


Former Milan star Paolo Maldini has launched a scathing critique of why Yoann Gourcuff’s move to Italy failed, citing a poor attitude on the young Frenchman’s part.

Gourcuff moved to the Rossoneri from Stade Rennais in 2006 but lasted only a couple of seasons in Italy before retreating to Girondins de Bordeaux first on loan and then on a permanent basis. Now with Olympique Lyonnais, the 24-year-old is in the midst of a difficult campaign and he will face further questions after Maldini’s assessment of his time in Serie A.

“Gourcuff in Milan was wrong 100 per cent,” he revealed to L’Equipe. “His problem here was his behaviour. He did not show an intelligent way to manage himself. When he played here, he did not want to make himself available to the squad.

“He did not start studying Italian immediately. He did not work. He was not always on time. It happened a lot. [There are] things he cannot tell. But he knows what he did.”

Even on the park, Maldini was not impressed. “When he came into the game, he did not give himself fully,” the former defender stated. “Less talented players have earned the respect of Milan because they gave everything. Him, he did not. And he knows it. After a while he became foreign to the group.”

Gourcuff won't feature in Lyon's weekend encounter with Paris Saint-Germain, ruled out of the match due to an injury sustained against Schalke on Wednesday.
 
Goal.com/en