Sunderland have confirmed via their official twitter account that their Italian forward Fabio Borini will join the fallen Italian giants AC Milan permanently on July the first. Borini had spent a season-long loan in Italy and he racked up 44 appearances in all competitions for Milan. He went on to score 5 goals and provided seven assists.
The number of goals might be small for a forward but Borini was used as a utility player last season as he played in various positions for Gennaro Gattuso. Milan finished sixth in their division and saw their derby rivals Inter Milan, secure a Champion League berth.
After suffering successive relegations, it was clear that the Black Cats will have to sell some of their key players and one expected that Borini’s time at the Stadium of Light was soon going to come to an end. Borini ended his career with Black Cats after making 93 appearances where he managed 17 goals. He will be remembered fondly by the Sunderland fans as he helped them survive relegation in the 2013-14 season with inspiring performances in the latter half of the season.
The Black cats have seen their stocks go down in the English football after successive relegation but now after a takeover one can expect them to get back to a position where they belong in the near future. Borini was never blessed with too much flair and dribbling skills and never had a prolific goal scoring season at the senior level but his perseverance and tenacity on the football pitch made him a good player wherever he went. He showed good ‘character’ on the pitch and was a tireless worker and maybe that’s why Brendan Rodgers even got him at Liverpool.
In the previous season, he ended up playing all over the pitch for AC Milan as he was deployed in various positions by Gattuso. He played in the wingback role well as his work rate was immense and with his deal now confirmed, it seems that he impressed the Milan manager with his performances. The 27-year-old has even managed an appearance for his national side Italy.
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Sunderland would have loved to have him in their squad but it was becoming very clear that Borini is too good for English second division. The Black Cats had no option but to sell him and they will have to rebuild the team to prepare to bounce back in the Championship at least by next year.
