AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso believes Andre Silva has the potential to become a vital player for the Rossoneri, once he manages to adjust to the rigours of the Serie A. The Portugal international joined the Rossoneri from Porto during last summer’s transfer window, but had to wait until March 2018 for his first goal in the Italian top-flight.

The goal, however, was invaluable indeed, as the last-minute header ensured that the Rossoneri secured a close 1-0 win over Genoa on the road. Speaking after the game, Gattuso was pleased with Silva’s impact off the bench, he said:“Andre Silva is 21, yet he play in the Portuguese national team. He works for hours, he just need a hand to make him understand how he can improve. He just needs to adjust to the Serie A.

“He is a strong player and has to show it, he hasn’t showed all his potential yet. Today we were a bit worried because we lost against Arsenal after a two and a half month unbeaten spell. But the team remained focused for all the 95 minutes. We have a lot of scoring chances but we are not composed enough to capitalize on them”.

The winner from Silva ensured that the Rossoneri stayed in the hunt for a Champions League spot in the Serie A. The San Siro outfit are presently six points behind fourth-placed Lazio in the standings, but they can shorten the deficit to just three points, should they win their game in hand, which is against cross-town rivals Inter.

Winning the Europa League is another possible route to making the elite competition next term, but their chances are pretty slim as they compete against Arsenal on Thursday night. The Rossoneri failed to make their home advantage pay as the Gunners cruised to a 2-0 win in the round of 16 first-leg, and they now have to overturn the deficit at the Emirates Stadium, which is a difficult ask for most clubs.