Udinese patron Gianpaolo Pozzo reiterated his faith in Francesco Guidolin and tries to talk Antonio Di Natale out of retirement.
Udinese patron Gianpaolo Pozzo reiterated his faith in Francesco Guidolin and tries to talk Antonio Di Natale out of retirement.
The club was thrown into turmoil earlier this month when Di Natale announced he would be retiring at the end of the season, apparently an idea he had not discussed with anyone at the Stadio Friuli.
“His qualities are beyond doubt,” Pozzo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He is the best striker ever to have worn the Udinese jersey. A difficult time can happen, but the team must help him and he needs to stay calm to focus only on working.
“Di Natale will get back to scoring many goals and I hope to convince him to continue with us next year too.”
Coach Guidolin has also been under fire recently after a string of poor Serie A results, though in the same period they knocked both Inter and Milan out of the Coppa Italia. Udinese will face Fiorentina in the two-legged semi-final in February.
“I have expressed my unconditional faith in Guidolin many times, as this Coach has taken us to peaks that were previously unheard of for this club. The rapport between Coach and players is excellent, so there is no reason not to think about continuing together.
“We are also in the Coppa Italia semi-final and I dream of putting something in our trophy cabinet.”