Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso has confirmed that his failure to lead his country to qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals left him with "a wound that will stay with him for the rest of his life", while at the same time stressing his sincere support for his successor in the technical staff, Roberto Mancini.
Gattuso had resigned as Italy boss last April after a shock defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup qualifying play-off, a stumble that saw the Azzurri miss out on the finals for the third time running.
A World Cup winner as a player in 2006, Gattuso returned to club coaching with Lazio in June, launching his tenure with a 1-0 win over Bologna in the opening match of Serie A.
Speaking in comments reported by "ESPN", Gattuso said: "I spent 10 wonderful months, and the players gave everything they had under my leadership. But what happened is a deep wound that will remain with me as long as I live, because it was extremely painful."
On Mancini's return to the national team last July, he added: "Mancini is a great coach with vast experience. I wish him success from the bottom of my heart, because Italian football is in dire need of it. He is a capable manager who has previously won titles with the national team."
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The 61-year-old Mancini had previously led Italy between 2018 and 2023, guiding them to the European Championship before failing to reach the 2022 World Cup finals.
He was not the Italian federation's first choice, though. Andrea Pirlo had emerged as a prominent candidate after Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola turned the job down, but investigations into a sponsorship contract between Pirlo and a betting company scuppered the appointment. Serie A, meanwhile, favoured a move for Antonio Conte. In the end, the federation settled on Mancini.