Gennaro Gattuso returns to AC Milan as youth team coach

Gennaro Gattuso has spoken of his joy at returning “home” to AC Milan after being offered the job as coach of their youth team from next season.

Gattuso, who was in charge of Serie B side Pisa this season, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to the third division of Italian football, is to return to the club where he spent most of his playing career, almost 20 years after first joining them.

“I’m going home,” Gattuso said. “I’ve thought about it for the past three weeks and I have decided with my heart. It’s not like I am going to any old club either — it’s Milan.”

Milan are reported to have first offered the job to Paolo Maldini before approaching Gattuso, whose Pisa finished bottom of Serie B this season, despite having the best defence in the division. They also had the worst attack, though, and paid for drawing 17 of their matches either 0-0 or 1-1.

Milan’s youth team had a disappointing first season since Cristian Brocchi left to take charge of Brescia last summer, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

Gattuso, 39, who has also coached Palermo and Crete, will be expected to bring his charisma to the club and improve the youth team’s fortunes next season, while trying to develop as many players as possible into the first team coached by Vincenzo Montella.

Manuel Locatelli, 19, last season broke into the Milan first team, following in the footsteps of Gianluigi Donnarumma, another of Milan’s own youth products.

Former Milan youth player Bryan Cristante had a successful season with Atalanta having joined them on loan from Benfica, whom he joined in 2014, while Luca Vido is also on the verge of playing in Milan’s first team after spending the second half of last season out on loan at Cittadella.