AC Milan's Gennaro Gattuso has hailed Leonardo Bonnuci's professionalism and hopes he will stay to help the club become successful again. Former AC Milan midfielder Kaka believes Cristiano Ronaldo can help to raise the level in Italy and help Italian teams become great again in Europe.
AC Milan relieved Massimiliano Mirabelli of his duties as sporting director on Tuesday, only days after the Italian club also severed ties with general manager Marco Fassone.
Mirabelli met with acting president Paolo Scaroni on Tuesday morning to be told that the club's new owners, Elliott Management, did not have a place for him in their managerial restructuring, which had led to Scaroni's election at the weekend.
The club later announced Mirabelli had been relieved of his duties with a statement on their website.
"AC Milan announces that, effective today, it has terminated the contract with Mr. Massimiliano Mirabelli as Sports Director of the Club," the statement said. "A new manager -- who has already been identified -- will be entrusted with the technical-sports area, and will be announced shortly.
"Mr. Giuseppe Mangiarano has also been dismissed from his role as Sports General Secretary, with immediate effect."
Mirabelli and Fassone were both appointed by Milan's former owner Li Yonghong in April 2017 and oversaw the investment of over €200 million on the transfer market last summer.
Elliott Management are currently considering candidates to assume leading managerial positions at the club, with Arsenal's Ivan Gazidis, Roma's Umberto Gandini, former Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo and former Milan player Paolo Maldini all reportedly under consideration.
Speaking at a news conference in Los Angeles, where the Rossoneri arrived on Monday for their participation in the International Champions Cup, which gets underway with a clash with Manchester United in Pasadena on Thursday, coach Gennaro Gattuso said he will miss Mirabelli.
"I'm here because Massimiliano gave me a huge opportunity," he said. "Fassone and Mirabelli deserve the credit for me being coach here now. I'm a professional and I'm very disappointed and upset, but we've got to move on. It's not right that I speak on his behalf -- I don't have to convince anybody."
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Source: espn.co.uk