Gattuso: Milan always remain within me, they gave more to me than I did to them

Gennaro Gattuso shrugged off his decision to forego money and confessed he’s eager to get back to work. “Milan gave far more to me than I did to them.”

The Coach agreed to give up 90 per cent of the salary he was owed in order to ensure his staff were paid for the full length of their contracts.

“Milan will always remain within me. They gave me a huge opportunity, both as a Coach and a player,” he told Sky Sport Italia while on vacation in Capri.

“It was a difficult decision, but at this moment, it was right to make it. The club is in good hands, there are smart directors who know what they’re doing and great men too. The fans can relax, they shouldn’t worry.

“I don’t want to talk about money, because when it comes to Milan, money doesn’t matter to me. This story was talked about, but I don’t like to talk money when there are emotions and my heart in the mix.

“Milan’s history is incredible and this club gave far more to me than I did to them. I don’t want to be praised for a normal gesture towards people I’ve worked with for years.”

Gattuso parted company with Milan after failing to lead them into the Champions League, finishing in fifth place.

“This season we had such big opportunities to finish off the race, but instead we always missed it. We lost our way, but did well overall, as 68 points are nothing to be sniffed at. The regret is that we could’ve done better during that period with five points in seven games, but it’s a young squad that ought to be thanked.

“As for the fans, this year we gave them joy and also great disappointment, but having a million fans come to San Siro over the season is impressive. Milan need this, they need their fans, who represent an important component. I thank them and hope they can continue bringing this enthusiasm.”

Now that he is a free agent, Gattuso has been linked with jobs at Sampdoria, Lazio, Fiorentina, Roma and Bologna.

“I do want to get back out there on to the training field. We have that desire, so we then need to analyse what we want to do and where we want to do it.

“At this moment, the idea is to continue the work we’ve done over the last few years. We need a club to choose us, so we’ll see.”