Zachary Athekame, the Milan defender currently on loan at Lyon, has spoken from the Switzerland camp. Here is what he had to say.
Even while away on loan, Zachary Athekame has not forgotten about Milan. The Rossoneri defender joined Lyon on a straight loan deal in the summer and quickly established himself as a key player for the French side.
The 2004-born full-back has registered two goals and two assists in his first five Ligue 1 appearances, producing a string of impressive performances that also caught the eye of Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin.
After watching the World Cup from home, Athekame has now earned a call-up to the Switzerland senior squad for their Nations League fixtures. It is another sign of the Swiss defender’s progress, having shown considerable room for further development during his spells at both Milan and Lyon.
Athekame speaks at Switzerland press conference
Speaking from the Switzerland training camp, Athekame addressed the media ahead of the game against North Macedonia, in which he could make his first start for the senior national team.
Milan also remains very much on the young full-back’s mind, with Athekame revealing how much he enjoyed his time with the Rossoneri.
“I look back positively on last season,” the 2004-born defender said. “I felt comfortable there. Serie A is a more tactical league. After the change of coach, I spoke to Amorim and decided that going out on loan was the right move.”
He then turned his attention to Switzerland:
“I hope I get the chance to play. I want to help the team and make sure I’m ready. I’ll give everything. Missing out on the World Cup was disappointing, I won’t deny that. But after that, I became the team’s biggest supporter, and what Switzerland achieved was incredible.”
Finally, Athekame opened up about his future and made his desire to return to Milan clear:
“I had a great time in Milan and, after all, I’m still a Milan player. Right now I’m at Lyon, but I’d like to come back.”
