Monday, November 13, 2006
Shevchenko rules out Milan return
Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has dismissed talk he wants to return to Italy amid suggestions he was desperate to return to AC Milan.
Milan president Silvio Berlusconi claimed over the weekend Shevchenko was keen on a move back to Italy following a telephone call between the pair.
However, the Ukrainian has rejected speculation he is considering a return by insisting he was just being polite in his conversation with Berlusconi.
Shevchenko said: "There's nothing in it.
"The phrase I made that I wanted to return was out of simple courtesy," he told Corriere dello Sera.
AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani also insisted Shevchenko had little hope of returning to the club anyway.
Galliani explained that Shevchenko's return to the San Siro is 'technically impossible' and that Berlusconi was not being realistic.
Shevchenko moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer in a deal worth £30 million but the Ukraine international has struggled to make much of an impact in the Barclays Premiership.
But Galliani said: "It is technically impossible. Shevchenko is a non-European player and his (non-European) spot has been taken by Ricardo Oliveira, full stop.
"The president thinks ahead to the future and speaks about feelings but he doesn't look at the acquisitions. Hence, there's no point in remembering the rest, that 'Sheva' is a Chelsea player, that they paid lots of millions for him and that he made a life choice."
Milan have certainly missed Shevchenko, with Oliveira only scoring once in 10 Serie A appearances.
The Rossoneri virtually waved goodbye to any hopes of clinching the Scudetto when their 2-1 defeat by Roma on Saturday left them 20 points adrift from leaders Internazionale after 11 games.
Chelsea were, not surprisingly, ignoring the latest comments from Berlusconi although insiders did make a point of labelling them 'mischief-making'.
The Blues have no plans to offload Shevchenko, who celebrated the latest family arrival with a goal in their 4-0 demolition of Watford at Stamford Bridge.
The celebration moved Chelsea right-back Geremi to predict that fans will see the best of the striker in the next few weeks.
Geremi said: "He is getting better every week and you could see from our celebration of his goal that we all get on.
"We will see the best of Shevchenko in the coming weeks."
Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o has already claimed Shevchenko had made a mistake moving to England but Geremi claims his fellow Cameroon star is wrong in his assessment.
Geremi said: "I don't think he was right. Sheva is a great player who has come to a great club.
"I think he wanted another challenge and the club wanted to sign him. He wanted to play in the Premiership. He needs time to gel and that's what he's trying to do."
However, the Ukrainian has rejected speculation he is considering a return by insisting he was just being polite in his conversation with Berlusconi.
Shevchenko said: "There's nothing in it.
"The phrase I made that I wanted to return was out of simple courtesy," he told Corriere dello Sera.
AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani also insisted Shevchenko had little hope of returning to the club anyway.
Galliani explained that Shevchenko's return to the San Siro is 'technically impossible' and that Berlusconi was not being realistic.
Shevchenko moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer in a deal worth £30 million but the Ukraine international has struggled to make much of an impact in the Barclays Premiership.
But Galliani said: "It is technically impossible. Shevchenko is a non-European player and his (non-European) spot has been taken by Ricardo Oliveira, full stop.
"The president thinks ahead to the future and speaks about feelings but he doesn't look at the acquisitions. Hence, there's no point in remembering the rest, that 'Sheva' is a Chelsea player, that they paid lots of millions for him and that he made a life choice."
Milan have certainly missed Shevchenko, with Oliveira only scoring once in 10 Serie A appearances.
The Rossoneri virtually waved goodbye to any hopes of clinching the Scudetto when their 2-1 defeat by Roma on Saturday left them 20 points adrift from leaders Internazionale after 11 games.
Chelsea were, not surprisingly, ignoring the latest comments from Berlusconi although insiders did make a point of labelling them 'mischief-making'.
The Blues have no plans to offload Shevchenko, who celebrated the latest family arrival with a goal in their 4-0 demolition of Watford at Stamford Bridge.
The celebration moved Chelsea right-back Geremi to predict that fans will see the best of the striker in the next few weeks.
Geremi said: "He is getting better every week and you could see from our celebration of his goal that we all get on.
"We will see the best of Shevchenko in the coming weeks."
Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o has already claimed Shevchenko had made a mistake moving to England but Geremi claims his fellow Cameroon star is wrong in his assessment.
Geremi said: "I don't think he was right. Sheva is a great player who has come to a great club.
"I think he wanted another challenge and the club wanted to sign him. He wanted to play in the Premiership. He needs time to gel and that's what he's trying to do."
# posted by mojtaba @ 8:54 AM 
