Niang delighted with first Serie A goals

M'Baye Niang was "delighted" to score his first Serie A goals for AC Milan in the 4-1 thrashing of Sampdoria on Saturday, with the French forward also adding an assist in the rout.

AC Milan moved up to fifth following their comprehensive home win, closing the gap to the Champions League places to five points.

Niang, 20, has spent spells on loan with Montpellier and Genoa over the past two seasons and is eager to build on his first goals under head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic.

"I am delighted to have got on the scoresheet and above all that we won tonight. We must keep on this path," he told acmilan.com.

"We have all the qualities to have a great season. I feel the backing of the club, and even before my goals tonight, they were always close to me and have always rated me as an important player.

"My brace tonight is for all those that have supported me. We took to the pitch tonight with the desire to win and we’re very happy.

"Our aim was to come away with maximum points. We’re Milan and we have to always win."

Giacomo Bonaventura opened the scoring at San Siro before Niang's brace as Luiz Adriano netted late on for Milan, with Eder scoring a late consolation for the visitors.