AC Milan secured a valuable 1-0 win over Universitatea Craiova in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie on Thursday night, with Ricardo Rodriguez scoring the only goal of the game. The Rossoneri struggled at times with a lack of match fitness, but ultimately, they got the job done and start the new season with a win.

Universitatea Craiova

AC Milan

0

1

FT

Leg 1

Game Details

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• Lineups and Stats

Positives

As energy levels dipped alarmingly in the second half, Milan were able to show their determination to hold out for the win. Aside from some impressive...

Things change in the blink of an eye in football. The Football Whispers Index takes the latest transfer rumours and gives them a score out of five; the higher the score, the more realistic and reliable the whisper.

Here are today's top five emerging whispers for the summer. And keep an eye on Transfer Talk for all the latest gossip.

Jadon Sancho to Arsenal

According to The Sun, Manchester City forward Sancho has a soft spot for Arsenal and is keen on a move to the Emirates. The 17-year-old...

It's been a busy summer for AC Milan since Yonghong Li's takeover in April, as the Rossoneri have worked relentlessly to strengthen the squad. Ten new players have arrived and manager Vincenzo Montella has described it as a "summer of dreams" now that he has a squad capable of pushing the club forward.

A sixth-place finish in Serie A last season was enough to book their spot in the Europa League qualifying round. While there were jubilant scenes at the San Siro when their return to Europe...

Clubs across Europe are desperate to add to their squads ahead of the new season -- and that includes AC Milan, who have made the largest overhaul of any club in the top five leagues.

ESPN FC's club correspondents and bloggers rate their club's business so far and discuss what else needs to be done in the final days of the window.

To read ESPN FC AC Milan blogger Sumeet Paul's evaluation of the summer transfer window, as well as how other clubs have performed, click here.

The summer of 2017 will hopefully go down in history for all the right reasons for AC Milan. Having spent around €200m on rebuilding the squad, the Rossoneri are just missing one more marquee addition in attack. With other options falling away, it would appear that Torino forward Andrea Belotti should be the man to fill the void.

Milan owner Yonghong Li and the new hierarchy have addressed key areas of the squad that have needed strengthening for years. The defence is revamped...

Keisuke Honda's move to Mexico from AC Milan may take him even further away from Japan, but it could mean that one of Asia's most creative stars returns right to the heart of the national team, with vital 2018 World Cup qualifiers approaching.

The man they call the Emperor has joined one of Mexico's leading clubs in Pachuca. With his contract at Milan ending this summer, there had long been links with moves to Major League Soccer, China, and England -- as well as back home to the J.League.

Honda's...