Ancelotti: Italy job is a decade away

Carlo Ancelotti has no plans to manage Italy for at least another decade and suggested that the World Cup in 2030 could give him a glorious final triumph at the age of 71.

The 56-year-old, who was sacked by Real Madrid at the end of last season, will replace Pep Guardiola as Bayern Munich head coach from the start of the 2016-17 campaign, having agreed a three-year deal.

Ancelotti is regularly linked with the Italy job, but has regularly reiterated that international management is not on his immediate agenda.

The ex-AC Milan boss did say, though, that he would consider taking the role in 2026, with a view to winning the World Cup four years later given Italy’s track record of being runners-up (1970, 1994) and triumphing (1982 and 2006) in the tournament at 24-year intervals.

“According to historical recurrences, Italy will get to the final of the championship in Russia [2018] and win the one in 2030,” Ancelotti told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I started with the Azzurri next to Arrigo Sacchi and I might as well finish that way – I will be 71, just the right age for one last hurrah.

“Of course that means I need to keep working for the next 10 years now until I can reach 2026. Once I get there, then I will start thinking about the Italy job.”