Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 6y

Carlo Ancelotti rejected Italy job to return to coaching at club level

Carlo Ancelotti says he will bide his time for the right offer to return to management, while admitting he turned down the Italy job to concentrate on club football.

Ancelotti has been out of work since being sacked by Bayern Munich last September and he was recently being linked with Italy. But, speaking to Milan TV, he said that he does not want to move into international management.

"My choice was a technical one -- I want to coach a club," Ancelotti said. "I didn't feel like changing my role. It was a difficult decision, but I need to listen to how I feel.

"I don't know what is going to happen in the short term. It's even imaginable that I remain without a job because I can't see many possibilities to return to coaching. It's not a problem, I think sooner or later something will come up. There would be no problem going back to [a club in] Italy, though."

Roberto Mancini looks increasingly likely to be named Italy's next coach and Ancelotti says the national team "would be in safe hands" if the current Zenit Saint-Petersburg boss is appointed

"He's a great coach," Ancelotti added. "He has international experience, he's motivated and I'm convinced we could bounce back with him."

Ancelotti is currently in Canada, where he will watch Wednesday's Coppa Italia final on TV as a fan of his former club AC Milan, who take on Juventus.

"I'll be watching with a friend, who's a chef here in Canada," Ancelotti said. "He's a huge Milan fan and we'll put on our Milan shirts, which is the least I can do to support the Rossoneri. I hope we have something to celebrate on Wednesday.

"[Coach Gennaro] Gattuso's doing really, really well. The side's found an identity very quickly. They had a really good spell and they have lost their way a bit of late, particularly psychologically, but they've picked up again and I know perfectly well that Rino will prepare them very well."

Ancelotti also sent a message to Sir Alex Ferguson, who suffered a brain haemorrhage at the weekend.

"All of the football world is sorry for Ferguson," he said. "That's because everybody knows what a man he has always been. I heard that the surgery went very well and let's hope that his progress goes well and he can make a full recovery.

"He's a truly great person and this is why we are all concerned about him."

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