Ancelotti tells Milan to move on

The Rossoneri is currently languishing in 15th place in the fledgling Serie A table with head coach Massimiliano Allegri's position already under threat.

Ancelotti signed Milan stars Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his ambitious Ligue 1 outfit in the northern summer, while a host of veterans including Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi were allowed to leave last season's Italian runner-up for pastures new.

But Inzaghi promptly returned to the San Siro in a coaching capacity and Ancelotti has backed the retired striker to play a key role in reversing Milan's fortunes.

The 53-year-old, who won one Scudetto and two UEFA Champions League trophies during his eight years in charge of Milan, told Italia 2: "Who do I see as my heir? Pippo Inzaghi.

"We often speak on the telephone and he's highly motivated.

"The important thing is that he can still think like a player as well as like a coach, the rest will come with experience.

"I often speak with (Milan vice-president) Adriano Galliani. The squad has lost a lot of top players, so it's difficult to perform miracles.

"In any case, they need to stop using the departures as an excuse and instead use them as a springboard.

"Sure, they don't have the quality of last season, but no-one would have thought they'd lose three games from their first four in the league.

"You can take a few preventative measures against a difficult season, when you've made a lot of changes, but I never expected a Milan like this."

Despite its disappointing start to the season, Milan can take heart from some spirited performances from youngsters Francesco Acerbi and Stephan El Shaarawy, the latter scoring a sensational goal from distance against Udinese last weekend.

Ancelotti added: "The hardcore of the team is failing and so now it's important that the new players bring the atmosphere back (to the San Siro).

"Sometimes losing important players can spur a team on to find new ways of playing.

"They just need to stay strong and be confident.

"They can't risk throwing everything away while times are bad - they just need to stay united and weather the storm."