Castellijo reunites with Gattuso after leaving Milan for Valencia

Samu Castillejo has become Gennaro Gattuso’s first signing as Valencia head coach after completing his move from Milan.

The forward, who made just five appearances for the Rossoneri last season, has put pen to paper on a three-year deal at the Mestalla.

Castillejo is Los Che’s first arrival since the appointment of Gattuso, who is only the third Italian to manage the club after Claudio Ranieri and Cesare Prandelli.

The pair reunite having worked together during Castillejo’s first season at Milan in 2018-19.

Bienvenida a lo Gattuso#BenvingutCastillejo#CORVCF | #ADNVCF pic.twitter.com/ro8PbSxXCA

— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) July 12, 2022

The Spaniard featured regularly during his first three campaigns at San Siro; racking up 108 appearances across all competitions and scoring 10 goals.

However, the 27-year-old struggled for playing time last term under Stefano Pioli. Indeed, he started just once for the Rossoneri, with his final appearance coming as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat by Napoli last December.

He will be hoping to reignite his career upon returning to LaLiga, in which Valencia finished ninth last season.

Castillejo played 125 times across spells with Malaga and Villarreal in the Spanish top flight between 2014 and 2018, scoring 10 goals.