Montolivo delighted over Allegri stay

Milan’s Riccardo Montolivo has spoken of his satisfaction after manager Massimiliano Allegri was retained by the club.

Speculation had been rife that Allegri would be dismissed after the San Siro outfit failed to seriously for the Italian title last season.

However, the club have since opted to keep faith with the 45-year-old, who guided them to Serie A success in the 2010-11 campaign.

Montolivo has become a key figure for Milan since joining from Fiorentina last year, and he was quick to reveal his delight at the news that Allegri would be staying with the seven-time UEFA Champions League winners.

“I’m really happy Allegri has been confirmed as Milan’s coach for another season,” he said.

“Of course it’s not up to us to make those decisions, we are players and our job is to play well. I think we are all happy because we’ve gone through a positive journey with him over the last few months.

“We didn’t start the season well and we managed to overcome our difficulties with him, that’s the reason we developed a strong bond with him.

“The best quality Allegri has is definitely his balance to cope with both the difficult moments and in the best moments of the season. When something goes wrong or when something bad happens he has the great ability to remain the same, and it’s surely the best quality he has, he also has it off the football pitch.”

Montolivo made 39 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring four goals.