AC Milan striker Rafael Leao says coach Stefano Pioli is like a second father to him.

However, he admits it wasn't always like that.

Leao told Sky Italia: "At the beginning the relationship was a bit strange. I am a person to whom you have to say the right and direct things without beating around the bush too much.

"If you talk to me for 30 minutes I won't listen to you. His approach was aggressive, I'm calm and therefore you have to know how to relate to me. But he understood me and changed. He often called me to ask me about my family, if I needed anything, how to play.

"From there our relationship changed as if it were a relationship between father and son. When I go on the pitch I also have the responsibility to play to repay his trust. He deserves the best, he helped me grow as a man and made me responsible.

"He always tells me the right thing, he doesn't say nonsense. He doesn't talk much to me but he tells me the right things."