Fonseca embraces historic responsibility as Milan's new coach

New AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca does not underestimate the scale of the challenge he is taking on at one of the most historic clubs in world football but said he was proud to be in the hotseat.

The 51-year-old Portuguese took over as manager of Milan in June, following Stefano Pioli's departure. It is his second stint in Italy after a two-year spell at AS Roma ended in 2021.

The 19-time Italian champions finished in second place last season but were far behind champions Inter Milan, and had a lacklustre run in the Champions League and the domestic cups.

"As coach of Milan, I feel great responsibility, but also great pride," he told Milan TV on Tuesday.

"When you arrive at a club like Milan, there is the responsibility to defend a side with history known all over the world."

Fonseca emphasised his intention to trust young players. "For me, age is not a factor. If players have the courage and quality to perform, I will field them," he said.

However, the coach knows he will have to win over a passionate fanbase with a positive brand of football.

"We coaches have an obligation to people who love football, which is not just to win, but to have a 'form' that gets them passionate," he said.

"We must create a spectacle and to do that we need courage, for those we work with to have courage and experience football with joy.

"I think it's fundamental we create a strong sense of identity within the team, which allows us to have quality in our play and ambition to win every game," he added.

Milan begin the new Serie A campaign at home against Torino on Aug. 17.