Pato can't wait for debut

Alexandre Pato is confident that he can handle the pressure of playing for Milan and is looking forward to making his long awaited his debut.

The Rossoneri paid Internacional a reported £15m to secure the signature of the highly-rated Brazilian forward during the summer but have had to wait until now to hand the player his first taste of action.

Italian football regulations stipulate that non-EU minors (players under the age of 18) cannot be registered to play competitive first-team football.

As a result Milan have had to wait for Pato to turn 18 (which he did in September) and then for the registration window to re-open, which occurred on 3rd January.

Pato, whose name translates as 'Alex the Duck' in English, is now free to belatedly launch his career at the San Siro and is looking forward to getting started.

"I feel ready to start, to play," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Of course there will be some nerves, but I feel ready and I don't feel that too much pressure has been placed on me.

"Anyway, it is up to the coach Carlo Ancelotti to decide who will be playing on Sunday.

"Will I make the starting line-up against Napoli? I have a week to prove myself in training.

"I will be working hard and I hope to do enough to prove that I should feature in the game from the start."

Source: Sky Sports