AC Milan coach Allegri happy to surrender centre stage to Berlusconi

Max Allegri is confident of the full support of AC Milan patron Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi has railed against previous coaches Leonardo and Carlo Ancelotti in the past two seasons.

“Berlusconi hasn’t put me under pressure,” Allegri said. “It’s only right that the President intervenes at the presentation and speaks for a long time. He didn’t ask any questions of me, and if he were to have done, I would have replied.

“Berlusconi has been kind. He was very clear on Milan’s future: we are not here to sit back and let other team’s play. I like Berlusconi because he is direct.

“It went how I expected. Berlusconi is unique as a storyteller and I am quite ironic. I take the positive side of things and I don’t feel like I have my back against the wall. I played with two strikers, a trequartista and another attacking midfielder or sometimes two at Cagliari. If the players are open-minded, we can do anything here.

“It would be presumptuous to revolutionise a team that was in the race for the Scudetto six weeks until the end of last season. I will bring my ideas, but the group has been with Ancelotti for eight years and Leonardo for one, and we need to take this into account.”