AC Milan manager Vincenzo Montella has conceded that captain Leonardo Bonucci needs to improve ahead of Sunday's clash against Roma.
The 30-year-old joined from Juventus to considerable fanfare in July but has yet to fully settle in a Milan team who have already lost two of their six Serie A games this season.
The Rossoneri sit sixth in the table, but are level on points with the visitors to San Siro, and Montella is demanding a significant improvement from Bonucci and his fellow defenders.
He said: "Bonucci is not a problem and never will be. He certainly knows he has to improve his performances and was the first to admit it, but he is a resource for Milan and will be for many years to come.
"People seem to think everything is Bonucci's fault, but I know how to get the best out of him and his playing style. We need to improve overall in defence and this is a big test, so the players will be concentrated for the full 95 minutes.
"The internal relations are very good and Bonucci is motivated by difficulty. I am not remotely troubled.
"Roma have a super strike force and this match will give us a chance to make it a head-to-head in the table, which in recent years it hasn't been."
