MALICK THAW: OUR FOCUS

There's a new face in town suited to wearing the AC Milan shirt: young, talented, and with lots of potential, his name is Malick Thiaw. The 21-year-old German is ready to deepen and reinforce the Rossoneri's backline, specifically the central area. With the summer transfer window coming to a close, the Rossoneri's management team have moved to strengthen the defensive unit adding a player ready to learn and blossom for the Club for many years to come.

Weighing 80kg and standing at 194cm tall, Malick has a strong physical presence, important in his role, along with stubbornness, agility, personality and grit; his technical ability on the ball should also not be understated. Thiaw is good on the ball and has great vision, insofar as having been deployed as a defensive midfielder at certain times in his career. He is strong, difficult to get past and even causes a threat in the opposition box due to his quality in the air.

Malick was born in Düsseldorf to a Senegalese father and a Finnish mother. He started his footballing journey at his hometown club Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2009. Whilst remaining in the Nordrhein-Westfalen region, he then moved to Bayer Leverkusen before joining Borussia Mönchengladbach. His arrival at Schalke 04 came in 2015, his last stop before coming to Italy. He moved through the various youth teams at Schalke 04 and made his professional debut in March 2020 in the Bundesliga. He became one of the biancoblù's shining lights in a dull season that eventually ended with relegation. Last season, Schalke 04 returned to the German top flight, winning the league thanks in no small part to the 21-year-old's contributions.

In the 2021/22 season, Thiaw played 32 times grabbing two goals. Some other important statistics include being third in the league rankings for making the most tackles (82), and Schalke 04's player with the most interceptions (51). With regards to the national side, Malick is a pillar in Germany's Under-21 side, who won the 2021 European Championships in Hungary and Slovenia. Welcome to AC Milan Milick!

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