AC Milan chief Paolo Maldini says every transfer they've made is with risk.

Maldini is being celebrated in Italy for his work in building the current Rossonero team.

But he says: “All our choices were fairly risky, because we didn't have the potential to stage a Silvio Berlusconi's Milan style splash on the market, so we sought players who had great promise and had not yet expressed them fully, like Theo Hernandez, or ones who were young like Sandro Tonali and Brahim Diaz. Anyone who watched them in training, especially Sandro, knew it was just a matter of time.

“I said from the first game that we feel stronger and more complete than last season, largely because these are young lads who are maturing and there's a big difference between being 21 and 22."

Maldini was speaking before victory over Roma and also said: "We had many injury problems, but our mentality and spirit allowed us to achieve results we hadn't even expected.

“Having said that, we are obviously not at the same level right now as clubs like Liverpool, PSG and Manchester City.

“Milan have it in their history, but seeing a young squad with a general idea of attacking football, the path could be quicker than initially thought. It's all about the desire to get back to the level we were.

“A setback will happen, we cannot think of winning every game, but we are ready to fight it out with everyone."