Former Italy manager Gattuso admitted that the failure to lead the Azzurri to the 2026 World Cup qualification has left a lifelong wound. However, Gattuso said the team is in good hands with new head coach Roberto Mancini taking over the baton.

Italy has surprisingly failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in the last three editions of the tournament, and Mancini will certainly look to turn a corner. Gattuso stepped down in April, just days after Italy’s World Cup playoff loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“I had 10 wonderful months,” Gattuso said of his Italy coaching spell on Monday after guiding Lazio to a 1-0 win at Bologna in their Serie A opener.

“The lads I coached gave me their all. And it’s a wound that will remain for as long as I live, because it was a deep wound.”

Gattuso said Mancini has all the experience under his belt and he would deliver the goods for Italy.

“I’d say he [Mancini] is a great coach with a wealth of experience,” Gattuso said. “I wish him all the best because our football needs it. He’s a great manager; he’s someone who has already won with the national team, and I obviously wish him all the best from the bottom of my heart.”

Meanwhile, the Lega Serie A had wanted former Napoli and Juventus coach Antonio Conte, but Italy’s Football Federation (FIGC) decided to back Mancini.

“It’s true, the Serie A League would have liked Antonio Conte to be in charge of the national team,” Lega Serie A president Ezio Maria Simonelli said on Monday.

“But today we must get behind Mancini and hope that he restores Italian football to the glory it deserves.

“Our national team manager has an outstanding track record, crowned by the 2021 European Championship, the last major trophy won by Italian football. I wish him all the best for the next five matches, starting with the Nations League fixture against Belgium on Sept. 25.”