Vincenzo Montella has set his sights on making AC Milan great again after officially being appointed as their new coach.
The former Catania, Roma, Fiorentina and Sampdoria coach has penned a two-year deal with the Rossoneri, who have failed to qualify for Europe for an unprecedented third time in a row during the era of Silvio Berlusconi's ownership, and that is a statistic he is keen on changing this season.
"Our objective is to return to the top in Italy and in Europe," Montella told Mediaset -- the television company also owned by Berlusconi. "There's a lot of work to do and I'm aware of what to expect. To bridge the gap to Juventus, it is going to be up to the players."
Milan will report for preseason training on July 7 and Montella said he can't wait to get to work.
"We'll start to work seriously during the week," the 42-year-old said. "Milan need to have the ambitions to get back to being on the highest level in Europe, as well as in Italy. It's going to be an arduous task, but I know full well what I have to do.
Montella in esclusiva su #premiumsport: "Voglio riportare @acmilan ad alti livelli, in Italia e in Europa"https://t.co/33Joit2IDL
- PremiumSportHD (@PremiumSportHD) June 30, 2016
"We've got to get the players performing better. This way, we can get results."
Montella will be looking to succeed where Sinisa Mihajlovic, who made the same journey from Sampdoria to Milan a year ago, failed. In doing so, he is fulfilling a lifelong ambition.
"I always wanted to play for Milan, but [general manager Adriano] Galliani never signed me," he said. "Now I am here as coach. I may have a few more grey hairs, but I'm sure I can live with that."