AC Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo admitted Sunday’s 1-0 loss away to Genoa was something of a personal triumph for him despite his side’s defeat.
The former Fiorentina man had been sidelined since May when he broke a bone in his leg in a pre-World Cup friendly match against the Republic of Ireland in London.
Sunday’s match at the Marassi marked his long-awaited return and he told Sky Sport Italia afterwards: “For me it is a victory to be back on the field after six months for sure.
“I worked so hard during that time to get myself back as soon as possible and I was clearly thinking of getting back with a positive result but instead here I am trying to analyse a defeat.”
He said that he is not the man who can be expected to turn things around for his side following an indifferent run of form of late but believes that his club have what it takes to be playing Champions League football next year.
“I want to make myself fully available to the team and to try and turn things around but I do not have a magic wand and cannot change these things [myself],” Montolivo continued.
“In these months, I have watched the progress the team has made. Against Udinese we played well but to achieve our goals we must have continuity.
“It will not be easy to get into the Champions League but we have the potential to do it. We must just find more consistency to help us do so.”
