David Beckham might look to his playing past for the next key piece in his current project, according to a new report out of Italy. Beckham’s former AC Milan teammate Gennaro Gattuso is a top contender to become Inter Miami CF’s first-ever head coach, claims leading publication La Gazzetta dello Sport.
A second name entered the conversation on Tuesday, with The Sun reporting that Carlo Ancelotti is also in consideration. The Italian manager, 60, is currently in charge of Serie A club Napoli, though has a relationship with Beckham extending back to his own playing days at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
Gattuso, 41, is a Milan legend with more than 400 career appearances for the Rossoneri, where he expertly played the midfield “pitbull” role – often alongside former MLSer Andrea Pirlo – over more than a decade of service highlighted by two Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies. He also helped Italy win the 2006 FIFA World Cup, earning all-tournament honors.
The hard-charging icon moved into coaching after his retirement in 2010 and eventually returned to Milan, becoming their first-team manager in December 2017. Despite earning a contract extension last year, he resigned from his post at the end of the 2018-19 season after Milan finished fifth in Serie A, missing out on Champions League qualification.
Meeting with reporters at the MLS board of directors meeting in Orlando last week, Inter owner Jorge Mas said his club have “interviewed probably half a dozen serious candidates” and narrowed their coaching search “down to two or three” as they prepare for their 2020 MLS expansion debut.
"We’ve been looking at coaches that coached at the highest levels – they’ve been very good players in their own right. We’re going to play an attacking style of football led by David Beckham’s vision and shared by ownership,” added Mas. “We want a coach to fit in that can establish not only a winning culture, but building an institution to succeed. We’re looking beyond year one, year two, year three.”
