Massimiliano Allegri will leave AC Milan in the summer after a troubled season at the San Siro.
The Italian giants sit 13th in the Serie A table, 17 points outside the Uefa Champions League places and 27 behind league-leading Juventus.
The pressure has been building on the former Cagliari manager, who guided Milan to the Serie A title in 2011, and his time at the helm is coming to an end. “Of course, this is my last Christmas at AC Milan,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I do not know who will be the new coach. That is a problem that does not concern me.”
Dutchman Clarence Seedorf, a former Milan midfielder, has been touted to take the reins in the Italian media, but Allegri is not looking that far ahead and is hoping to win the Coppa Italia to secure European football in his final season at the San Siro.
Allegri’s men face Spezia in the last 16 on January 15 and that looks to be their best chance to make the Europa League, since they sit 12 points behind fifth-place Inter Milan.
“We did what we needed, in three seasons, the team and I, we got the results we were asked to,” he said.
“Unfortunately, now the third place is far away, but there is the Coppa Italia, which becomes a good option to leave AC Milan to remain in Europe.”
Milan are still in this season’s Champions League and will take on Atletico Madrid in the last 16. While the club have yet to confirm Allegri’s departure, they announced that long-serving general manager Ariedo Braida was leaving his post.
Braida took up his role in 1986, and during his tenure, the club won eight scudettos and five European Cups.
“AC Milan thanks Ariedo Braida, who now leaves the company,” read a statement on the team website. “He has been an invaluable collaborator for a long time, characterised by prestigious results thanks to his important work.”