AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella says striker Gianluca Lapadula is in the middle of a fairytale after his remarkable rise continued with the winning goal against Crotone.
Lapadula dramatically scored with four minutes remaining of his first start at San Siro to seal a 2-1 Serie A win over the struggling visitors.
The 26-year-old had never played in the top-flight prior to joining Milan in June but Montella feels he has already cemented a place in the team even when Carlos Bacca returns from injury.
He is in the middle of a great fairytale, Montella said to Sky Italia.
Over the last month his prospects and status have changed, all of it earned with hard work and sweat. I hope this sporting determination never leaves him.
Up until two months ago Lapadula had not even made his Serie A debut. Now he is proving he deserves this shirt, with or without Bacca.
Lapadula who was playing in Italy s third-tier as recently as 2015 now has four goals in nine league appearances and Milan moved back to within four points of leaders Juventus with their latest victory.
I haven t looked at the table, we just want to be a team that improves, added Montella.
It was a difficult match, as we had predicted, as Crotone know how to sacrifice themselves for the team.
I actually liked the first half more than the second. We slowly got more impatient, but still created many chances and I think at the end of the day it was a deserved win.
I compliment Crotone, but above all Milan, because this was a hard-fought win. Serie A is where you risk losing these games. I feared we might underestimate Crotone, that didn t happen and that s important for a coach.
It s true we must aim higher, but have to take our opponents into account too.
Milan s next match is a big one they play Scudetto rivals Roma away on December 12.
