Milan, Ricci: "I have many things to improve on. I have a good relationship with Allegri, I spoke with Modric..."

His opinion on Allegri : "We immediately had a great connection with Allegri. He loves joking off the pitch and always brings a smile to our faces, but when he's on the pitch, he's very committed to working hard and paying attention to detail. His key skill is that he knows how to win, and he's passing that on to us. Being from Pisa and Livorno gives us the same sense of humor. His assistant is from Lucca, so it's a Tuscan trio that's very funny. He's building a great relationship with all the guys."

On the impact of the first month at AC Milan : "The aspect that struck me most in this first month at AC Milan is the intensity shown in training. A truly healthy internal competition is developing, which raises the level. We also noticed it during the friendlies, where I scored, and that's nice. But above all, we've gotten some minutes in our legs, and I can tell you, on Sunday against Bari, it was exciting to walk into San Siro as a AC Milan player and not as an opponent."

On Modric : "I spoke with Modric about various things, even off the pitch. I asked him about Spain, and he asked me about various things related to Italy. But above all, we talked about homes because we're both looking for one at this stage! He's very humble and is already an important figure in the dressing room. I see that many of us already rely on him. Honestly, I never imagined I'd share a dressing room with him! He does certain things with such a naturalness that it's impressive."

On Empoli : "They're among the best at launching young players and getting them playing. They're not afraid to bring them in, whereas often there's this fear elsewhere. I was lucky enough to join the first team when they were in Serie B, where you get more space. We even won the league and I reached Serie A. It took me a few years before I left that comfort zone. I was good in the youth teams, but I wasn't a phenomenon you might call me that... but little by little, with hard work and staying focused, without getting distracted by other things, I made it. I followed a linear path, and they even gave me the opportunity to do so and put myself out there. That was my good fortune."

On his first impact in Serie A : "The transition from the Primavera was abrupt. It's not even comparable to training with the seniors. I had a bit of difficulty at the beginning, I noticed that I still viewed football as a game and not entirely as a job. I had this switch when I arrived at Torino: before, I viewed football like a kid, but the call from Torino made me say, 'It's time to get serious.' I started taking more care of myself, going to the gym, working on my deficits. This change also came thanks to Jurić. Stepping out of my comfort zone helped: in my opinion, the sooner you do it, the better. I did it at the right time, but I told myself, 'Either I change now, or I'll never play.' And from that moment on, I carved out my own space."

On his role : "I really enjoy having the ball at my feet, I like to go looking for it in the moments of the game when it's less available. In Serie A it's complicated because there's a lot of tactics and the teams play closed-off: it's hard to find space. Although I've noticed that in Serie B it's even more complicated from this point of view, it's a peculiar league because, as we've seen again this year, it doesn't matter what you're talking about, but rather the compactness of the group. In Serie B it's very difficult to play with the ball because they press you so much and you face teams, especially when you go away, that are very closed-off, and the results are 'bad' and dirty games. It's a general characteristic of the Italian league and the foreign players who come to us find it difficult in this sense. I've had the opportunity to speak with the guys who have come from the Premier League, for example, and they find this difficulty, maybe they're ahead in other aspects. Adams at Torino confirmed this for me, then for the attackers it's even more difficult because in Italy the defenses are really tough and, above all, the way they defend is tough."

On what he needs to improve : "I need to improve in many areas. Technically, of course, but also in terms of my presence on the pitch. I'm not talking so much about grit, but rather about being more involved in the game. Sometimes I like to drop deep to get the ball, but I might lose something in the defensive phase, which is the toughest part. However, compared to how I was before, thanks in part to the work I've done recently, I've improved a lot, especially physically. I worked a lot on my strength in the early years, and every season I continue to improve. There's always room for improvement, in many aspects: physically, mentally, but also off the pitch, like approach and preparation. Tactically, that's perhaps a little more difficult if you're not naturally predisposed, but it's still an area I'm trying to grow in. Then, everything related to the athletic side of things can be trained off the pitch, too, and that's where you can make a difference."