Thierry Henry says Tottenham Hotspur transfer target, Mike Maignan, was ‘outstanding’ as AC Milan recorded a valuable 1-0 first-leg win over Napoli in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The France legend stated that ‘if it wasn’t for Mike Maignan‘, then perhaps the soon-to-be Serie A champions would have levelled proceedings at the San Siro.
Instead, the seven-time European champions head to Naples next week knowing that if they avoid defeat, then there is every chance they can set-up a possible Milan derby for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Inter Milan are on the other side and they beat Benfica 2-0 away from home on Tuesday night to give them a massive advantage heading into the second-leg.
Derby days are incredible as they are on a normal day, but for one to take place in the semi-finals of domestic football’s biggest club competition would be out of this world.
But, along the way, one man that is standing out is France’s new number one, following the retirement of Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris, and Thierry Henry was left seriously impressed by what he saw, as he told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (12/04/23 at 10:40 pm).
“For me, this goalkeeper, is just outstanding,” said Henry. “I have been saying that for a very long time. He was at the academy of Paris Saint-Germain, they didn’t want to keep him.
“He is an outstanding goalkeeper. If it wasn’t for Mike Maignan, then it might have been a 1-1 game. If that game was 1-1, the no-one could have said that it wasn’t right.
“They could have brought something from the San Siro, but they didn’t. Benfica is the same (against Inter). Experience matters.”
TOTTENHAM’S INTEREST IN MAIGNAN
After the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Hugo Lloris decided to hang up his gloves on the international stage as the 36-year-old enters the final years of his club career.
Things haven’t gone well for the veteran shot-stopper this season and Tottenham are sounding out possible replacements, including AC Milan’s Mike Maignan.
Even though Lloris will have 12 months left to run on his Spurs contract beyond this summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a change is made for next season because his error-prone ways are becoming too problematic for the team.
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