Theo ‘deserved better treatment’ from Milan, one director ‘didn’t show up’

Theo Hernandez insists he didn’t want to leave Milan last summer, while Giorgio Furlani ‘didn’t show up’ when he reunited with his former teammates for the Supercoppa in Riyadh a few days ago.

Former Milan defender Theo Hernandez feels he deserved better treatment from the Rossoneri last summer, when the club decided to sell him to Saudi side Al-Hilal.

During an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Theo said: “I deserved better treatment. I didn’t expect it. Some teammates pushed me to stay, but when an executive calls you and says, ‘If you stay, we’ll freeze you out,’ what can you do? Just look elsewhere.”

The Frenchman insisted that he never wanted to leave Milan, that his “priority was to stay” and that he never snubbed a move to Como in January: “My agent never mentioned it to me. They said I had asked for outrageous figures to renew, that I was pushing for a transfer. All false.”

Theo reunited with Milan in Riyadh a few days ago as the Rossoneri were involved in the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia.

Theo said he met with “Allegri, Tare and Ibra,” but “Furlani didn’t show up.”

“I wasn’t able to hug everyone the way I would have liked. I’m sorry they lost [against Napoli],” he continued.

“I said ‘well done’ to Bartesaghi, who deserves everything, and hugged Modric with whom I played in Madrid. He’s a genius, on another level.”

The relationship between Theo and Milan started deteriorating when Paolo Maldini was sacked in 2023.

“When I arrived, there were Massara, Boban and my idol Maldini. Ibra is a top figure, but after Paolo left, everything changed for the worse,” said the defender.

When Maldini left, “I felt lost,” he added.

“Last season, Calabria and I showed up at Milanello wearing Paolo’s shirt, and some people didn’t like that. They tore down a legend for nothing. Apart from Ibra, you can feel the lack of Milanismo.

“I made mistakes, like red cards against Fiorentina or Feyenoord, but we’re human. I wasn’t mentally at ease, and I could have done better, but the fans know who Theo was at Milan.”

Theo warned that another star, Mike Maignan, might leave Milan in the coming months as the goalkeeper’s contract runs out in June: “He has a situation similar to mine, and it didn’t end well.”

Despite his desire to stay at Milan last season, Theo is happy with his new club and coach Simone Inzaghi.

“It’s wonderful. It was the best choice. The only downside is traffic. Terrible,” said the defender.

“Inzaghi told me: ‘Shall we go and win together?’ I know they called him ‘demon’ at Inter. On the pitch, he’s a person, but off it, he’s another. A gentleman. Every now and then, he jokes about the fact that last season I made him lose the Supercoppa here in Riyadh, but his staff members also remember me about the derbies or the duels with Dumfries.”