AC Milan Boss Vincenzo Montella Remains Upbeat Despite Defeat Against Dortmund in Friendly

​AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella chose to remain positive despite his side's 3-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in their opening match of the International

​AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella chose to remain positive despite his side's 3-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in their opening match of the International Champions Cup.

The Serie A giants have demonstrated their ambition with some big name arrivals so far this summer, but were comfortably beaten by their German opposition.

A Nuri Sahin goal and a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace were enough to give Dortmund the win, but Montella insisted that there were encouraging signs from the performances of his players.

Borussia Dortmund's Sokratis Papastathopoulos (R) competes for the ball with AC Milan's Patrick Culrone during their International Champions Cup football match in Guangzhou, in China's southern Guangdong province on July 18, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / STR / China OUT (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) :: STR/GettyImages

"We cannot look at the result," he said, quoted by ​FourFourTwo. "I saw a team with application and character. There are things we need to work on, but the spirit is always the same.

"We suffered at times, but we reacted and the young players also did well.

"Overall I see a team that is very confident in the things they do. We were missing several players so I see great potential to improve."

New signings Ricardo Rodriguez, Hakan Calhanoglu, Mateo Musacchio, Fabio Borini and Franck Kessie all played in the defeat, but perhaps the most eagerly anticipated arrival, defender Leonardo Bonucci, was absent.

GUANGZHOU, CHINA - JULY 18: Vincenzo Montella,coach of AC Milan reacts during the 2017 International Champions Cup football match between AC milan and Borussia Dortmund at University Town Sports Centre Stadium on July 18, 2017 in Guangzhou, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) :: Lintao Zhang/GettyImages

The former Juventus centre-back could feature in Milan's next outing against Bayern Munich, however, after he has met up with his new teammates.

"He's one of us now in every respect," Montella said. "It was a great signing by the club and we're happy to have him with us.

"Tomorrow he will arrive and we will evaluate his physical condition and decide who plays and for how many minutes."

UDINE, ITALY - JUNE 11: Leonardo Bonucci of Italy looks on prior to the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Italy and Liechtenstein at Stadio Friuli on June 11, 2017 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) :: Claudio Villa/GettyImages

Milan are straight into competitive action following the Bayern friendly, with a two-legged Europa League third qualifying round tie against Romanian side Craiova, and Montella has admitted that his players are unlikely to be at peak fitness levels.

"I'd be happy to arrive at 70 per cent," he added. "I hope those who have arrived will be as prepared as us, or even more so. It's a fundamental game for us, the priority is to get into the group stage of the Europa League."