Genoa coach Andriy Shevchenko seemed genuinely moved after Milan ultras at San Siro greeted the club legend with banners and chants.
The Ukrainian will reportedly be sacked after this Coppa Italia Round of 16 tie, regardless of the result, just two months after taking over from Davide Ballardini.
There are multiple sources confident the Genoa owners have already decided to fire Shevchenko and bring in a replacement.
He was therefore already a little emotional when walking back into the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, which had been his home for so many years as a player in two different spells.
Shevchenko seemed to have some tears in his eyes as he waved to the crowd and they chanted his name before kick-off.
As the match began, the Milan ultras also unveiled a huge banner for the former striker.
‘A long love story, the gaze in Manchester sculpted in our hearts, Sheva legend forever.’
The ‘gaze in Manchester’ of course referenced Shevchenko’s look to the referee as he stepped up to take the decisive penalty in the Champions League Final shoot-out victory over Juventus at Old Trafford in 2003.