Allegri aloof from exit rumours

AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri refused to be drawn on his managerial future after a crucial victory over Genoa on Wednesday.

With reigning champions Milan three points behind title rivals Juventus after a poor run of form in Serie A, speculation is mounting that club owner Silvio Berlusconi is considering a change of coach.

Allegri, who has two years remaining on his contract, was tight-lipped on the rumours, and insisted his sole focus is on overhauling Juve before season’s end.

“We’ll talk about the future another time … but I still have two years left on my contract,” he told reporters during his post-game press conference after the 1-0 win.

“The only thing that I can do is give suggestions to the players, the coach is chosen by the club.

“President Berlusconi called me on the eve of the game as he always does. I told him that I still believe in the tile and I hope that Juventus will drop points.”

Allegri also argued that Milan have done well to even maintain a Scudetto challenge in light of the amount of injuries they have suffered this season.

“At the moment I can only thank the players for what they’re doing because they’re keeping the championship alive,” he stated.

“We’ve been a bit unlucky. The players put in a great effort from round six, when we had a four-point lead and throughout that period we only had 15 to 16 players.

“Having more players on the bench would have been easier. Last year we were the team that made the best substitutions with the games in progress because very often the players coming off the bench can be more important than the players who start the game.”

After seeing off Genoa at San Siro thanks to a late goal from Kevin-Prince Boateng, Milan will be hoping to keep up the pressure on Juventus when they travel to Siena this weekend.