Bonucci Comforts Distraught Donnarumma After Abuse From AC Milan Fans
On Wednesday, AC Milan ultras unveiled a large banner calling for prodigal young goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to leave the club. It read:
"Psychological violence by giving you €6 million a season & signing your parasite brother? It's time to leave...our patience with you is over!"
This was apparently a reaction to reports that Gianluigi Donnarumma's agent Mino Raiola had sent a letter requesting that the 18-year-old's contract be annulled on the basis that Donnarumma was subjected to "moral abuse."
Speaking to Italian media (quotes via FourFourTwo), new AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso stated that the youngster was "shaken" by the fan's protests:
"He's an 18-year-old kid, of course he was shaken. I can only thank him for what he's doing. For his age, he's the best goalkeeper in the world right now.
"You can tell from his face he's not happy, but I have known a great athlete and great kid. He will have my protection, for all the protection I can give... I feel terrible about this, as people are painting a kid as if he's a monster and he doesn't deserve it. Fortunately, there were only 9,000 people in the stadium tonight, imagine how it'd feel if there were 50,000 insulting him."
The Italian international penned a new four-year deal worth €6m a year in the summer in the midst of a myriad of transfer speculation; speculation which has re-surfaced in recent days.
Donnarumma has been linked with a January move to Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, but Milan's Chief Sport Officer, Massimiliano Mirabelli, has remained bullish regarding the 18-year-old's future.
Despite AC Milan's disastrous start to the season, Donnarumma has performed admirably at the start of his second full season as the Italian giant's starting goalkeeper. It is clear that selling Donnarumma could be a potentially disastrous for Il Diavolo.
