Chelsea's Marco van Ginkel Reveals AC Milan Have Long Been Interested in Signing Him

Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel has revealed that AC Milan always wanted to sign him and says Italian football suits his style of play.

The Dutch international was signed by Jose Mourinho from Vitesse Arnhem last summer. However, his progress at Stamford Bridge was hampered after he picked up a serious injury at the start of the previous campaign.

During the recently concluded transfer, Van Ginkel joined Milan on a season-long loan. The Blues did not include an option to sign the 21-year-old on a permanent transfer, which will see the midfielder return to the west London club at the end of the season.

"AC Milan wanted me for a long time and did everything to get me. That is good for a player to know. We play with two attacking midfielders and a defensive one. I think I am more of an attacking one," Van Ginkel told Milan Channel.

"I think Italian football suits me. Milan is a great club, even though we won't play in the Champions League this year, so I am fine here."

"Right now I am focused entirely on Milan, but I'm happy with the fact that Chelsea didn't put an option to buy in the loan," he added.

Van Ginkel joins his Chelsea teammate Fernando Torres at San Siro. The former Liverpool striker joined Milan on a two-year loan deal after he was allowed to leave Stamford Bridge by the Portuguese tactician.

Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has expressed his joy after he was handed the role of vice-captain of England. Roy Hodgson named Wayne Rooney as the Three Lions' skipper and the Blues centre-back as the deputy to the Manchester United striker.

"It was in training after the first game. He decided and just pulled me to one side and let me know. Of course I was grateful and honoured," Cahill told Chelsea's official website.

"I just look forward to playing for England, with that added bonus now of maybe being captain one day if needed or if Wayne comes off or is unavailable."

"It's a massive honour. Even just to pull on an England shirt and play for England is a huge honour, but to have the added bonus of being vice-captain is amazing. To have the armband in the last two games, even for the short time that it was, felt fantastic," he concluded.