AC Milan chief Paolo Maldini has defended the additions of attacking pair Charles de Ketelaere and Divock Origi.

Both summer additions have struggled in their first season in Italy.

"De Ketelaere is an example of a player who needs to improve. It would have been easier and cheaper for us to pick a player like Paulo Dybala at the start of the season. But would he have been the right player for our project? Would he have been suitable for our owners? No," said Maldini, quoted by MilanNews.it.

" We have an idea and want to build a young and talented team. Signing young players is risky. Sandro (Tonali) had problems in his first season; the same thing happened to Charles this year. But this is our idea of football, our idea of investment. It is a shared opinion with the owners. If I wanted a stronger starting XI, I would have made other choices in the market. We have a project that we are developing together. It takes time. Who knows our great history better than I?

Maldini also commented on the signing of Origi - who arrived from Liverpool as a Bosman.

"He has everything to be a fantastic striker. He has speed, shot and technique, but it is true that he struggles to leave a mark in front of goal. Honestly, we expect so much from him.

"He came to us as a Bosman, but we made an important investment in terms of wages. When we see him in training, we know what he can give us. He is an experienced player, but he has not given us what we expected. We signed him to be a backup to (Olivier) Giroud."