It has been just over a year since AC Milan won Serie A for the 19th time but they are far from the side that dominated the 2021-22 season.

Technical director and club legend Paolo Maldini has departed the Italian giants and manager Stefano Pioli is said to be considering his future ahead of the new campaign.

And after being dumped out of the Champions League by rivals Inter Milan, it was no surprise to see the San Siro faithful voicing their displeasure towards the players in the final few games.

As the Rossoneri prepare to regroup in 2023-24, we take a look at how they can become a competitive force once again.

Cull the herd

Milan have a mixed squad that houses several players who are in the final years of their careers at the top level.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's retirement frees up one spot on the books, but there are others who may have to make a sacrifice if Pioli's men are to challenge the likes of Napoli and Inter next term.

Olivier Giroud, Simon Kjaer and Alessandro Florenzi have all featured regularly this season but have a combined age of 102.

Fresh blood is required to spice up competition across the squad and make the famous Red and Blacks genuine title challengers in the new campaign.

Leao's leverage

Rafael Leao is undoubtedly the star man for Milan and his contract extension puts him in a position to lead the seven-time Champions League winners for years to come.

The 24-year-old is maturing into an outstanding forward and has used the guidance of Ibrahimovic to take his game to another level.

He said: "Even when I scored goals in the first half, he'd come to me saying, ‘Rafa you need to do more, you have to score two or three'.

"Technically, he knew what I could do. He was important mentally."

Building a squad around the Portuguese international is a recipe for success if the winger can avoid injuries that disrupted much of his season.

Pioli's position

Maldini's departure has left question marks over the future of 57-year-old Pioli, but reports have also suggested that the Italian may be ready to take up a greater role within the club.

It would one similar to the position held by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, who works closely with the board and is involved in much of the planning for the future on Merseyside.

Despite being scouted by Napoli as a potential replacement for Luciano Spalletti, an improved job in Milan may prevent Piolo from leaving and give him an opportunity to mount a charge towards the top of the table in the new campaign.

Don't hold back

And the Milan faithful have been given a reason to get excited about the upcoming season, with Pioli going on record to voice his desire to improve the squad over the summer.

He said: "We have a solid base, where the owners, the club, the managers have been good at making it solid.

"If we want to be competitive in two competitions, even if it happens to only a few clubs in the world. If there is the possibility, we will improve the squad."

There is work to be done for the red half of Milan this summer, but they have the right foundations and coach to improve upon their mediocre finish this term.