Abate confirms exit amid expiring deal: 'This was my last match as Milan coach'

Ignazio Abate has announced that he is leaving AC Milan at the end of the season when his contract expires, after the Primavera were eliminated from the play-offs.

It has been another memorable season for the Primavera as they reached the UEFA Youth League final for the first time in their history, which in turn made it back-to-back appearances in the final four.

Unfortunately they had their season ended on Saturday evening as they drew 1-1 with Lazio in their play-off, which was not enough to secure progress to the next round.

The regulations state that if a quarter-final is a draw after 90 minutes, the team with the higher placing in the regular season goes through, which meant that the Diavolo had to beat Lazio inside 90 minutes.

We spoke in a recent feature about the fact that Abate’s future at the club was far from certain, given the fact his contract is about to run out and he seems ready for a job at a senior side.

At the end of the game, Abate officially announced that he is leaving the Rossoneri during an interview with Sportitalia.

“This was my last match as Milan coach, I feel ready for professional football,” he said (via MilanNews).