Gattuso Steps Down As AC Milan Manager

By Max Wise

Gennaro Gattuso has left his role as AC Milan manager with immediate effect after failing to guide them into next season’s UEFA Champions League.

AC Milan finished fifth in the Italian Serie A standings despite a 3-2 away win to SPAL on the final day of the season, missing out on Europe’s Premier club competition for the sixth season in a row, and will have to content with Europa League football next season.

Gattuso, who replaced Vincenzo Montella as manager in November 2017, has decided to end his time in the San Siro dugouts after meeting with AC Milan Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis, despite his contract still having two years to run.

"Deciding to leave Milan's bench is not easy but it's a decision I had to make," he said, according to Italian newspaper Repubblica.

"There was not a precise moment in which I decided, it was the sum of these 18 months as coach of a team that for me will never be like the others. Months that I lived with great passion, unforgettable months.

"Mine is a painful but thoughtful choice.

"Am I giving up a two-year contract? Yes, because my story with Milan can never be a question of money."

Gattuso spent 13 years as AC Milan as a player, making 387 appearances and winning the Champions League in 2007.

Gattuso will be joined in exiting AC Milan by sporting director, Leonardo, who will be leaving the club for the third time after previously serving as a player and later as a coach.