Jeremy Menez Can Be AC Milan's Secret Weapon in Serie a

Jeremy Menez came to AC Milan with something prove. They love to take on these projects: players that once showed greatness, then lost their way. Milan give a generous hand to those that have fallen down, perhaps only because they come for free.

But Menez has always claimed that he is not the bad boy the press have made him out to be. "People have a false picture of me," Menez told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t FourFourTwo), "and I want to prove that I am a quiet person on and off the field. I'm not saying that I have always been a saint, but I am now grown up, I feel different."

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While playing for AS Roma between 2008 and 2011, Menez had a bad temper. He had fights with coaches, and he was not a favourite of the fans. He didn't score enough: just 12 goals in 112 matches. They attacked his car after one Coppa Italia match and threw rocks, according to Forza Italian Football.

Menez then went to Paris Saint-Germain as one of the first premier signings by the Qatari takeover. But he struggled with injuries and he could not keep a spot on the team sheet once Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic took over.

Now he has to build up his career again with a club in the middle of a similar rebuild. The 27-year-old has kids, a partner and a family. He has dealt with the critics, he has taken the boos. There is hope that he can find peace in Milan, and coach Pippo Inzaghi has made him feel important again.

"I feel a great understanding with the coach," Menez told AC Milan's official website (h/t Forza Italian Football). "I cannot fail because he is giving me so much, and I would give anything for him."

Inzaghi made Menez his first signing as coach, and he met the Frenchman personally in Ibiza to persuade him. So far that boost in confidence has worked. Menez scored on his Serie A debut with Milan, and he has played the few games available with gusto and lots of energy. Inzaghi deployed him as a false nine against Lazio, and Menez could even play on the wings.

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Menez is probably the reason why Milan gave up on Alessio Cerci, the right-winger they were chasing for most of the summer. Menez showed enough desire to earn a spot in Inzaghi's early plans. 

But that could change. Now there is Fernando Torres in the picture, the marquee signing to replace Mario Balotelli. Surely he will start as the main striker in a 4-3-3 formation. Stephan El Shaarawy has to play on the left wing, and Keisuke Honda should also be in there somewhere.

Perhaps Menez stays on the right side, and Honda moves deeper. Menez has the pace to bedevil full-backs, and he can cross the ball and make assists. He really can play anywhere on the front line, and anywhere will do—as long as he starts.

Because he left Paris without a contract, and he has finally found some hope again in Italy. Milan should not take that away from him so soon.