Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has backed Vincenzo Montella to manage the Giallorossi again in the future as he prepares to come up against the AC Milan coach on Monday night.
Montella played under Spalletti at Roma and he says that he began to learn about management from the 57-year-old when he realised that his playing days were coming to an end in the 2008-09 season.
"In my last year, I deserved not to be playing much so I started to work out how he was preparing his training sessions," Milan boss Montella said at a news conference on Sunday. "I've studied a lot from him as a coach and it has helped me a great deal.
"Maybe I learned more from him as a coach than I did in our coach-player relationship. There was a phase at Roma when he could have given me a bit more respect in terms of how often he played me, but I've forgiven him."
Montella spent three months in charge of Roma following Claudio Ranieri's resignation in 2011 and Spalletti believes he has some unfinished business in the capital.
"I would take him away from the Rossoneri," Spalletti told a news conference. "This is his home here and certainly he will return to become coach of Roma because he is a great coach.
"Roma are made to win while Milan aren't. I am just doing something normal with this team whereas what he is doing with his is extraordinary, so in a battle between us both he is doing better than I am right now.
"I'm pleased that he has forgiven me for not playing him. It's a lot easier to understand your parents when you become one yourself. Even he has two or three players who will forgive him one day."
Roma and Milan meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night with both teams tied in second place on 32 points, seven behind league leaders Juventus, who beat Torino on Sunday, and one ahead of Napoli and Lazio.