Former Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic says he feels ready to manage a big club amid reports he is set to be named as the new coach of AC Milan.
The Serbian spent the evening with Milan president Silvio Berlusconi and general manager Adriano Galliani on Wednesday following Filippo Inzaghi's reported dismissal on Thursday.
Should Mihajlovic join the Rossoneri, he would be reneging on a promise he made while in charge of Catania "never" to coach Milan. "It's about values," he added at a news conference in Sicily in 2010.
"Things change in your life," he clarified on Thursday while picking up an award as the best coach of 2014-15 in Amalfi.
"When I was just starting to coach, I needed to create enemies -- that stimulated me, dividing us and others. At my age, though, having understood many things, I prefer to reason based on the experiences I have gained.
"Milan is a challenge which would please me. It's easy to be loved by the clubs you played for, but it's an even great challenge to be loved by the sceptics. I don't need any enemies today. I realise I've changed the way in which I think and reason. You reason one way when you are 20, but things change when you are 50."
On Friday, Mihajlovic was expected to return to Milan to be named as their coach, although he insists negotiations were not held on Wednesday.
"It was just an informal dinner," he said, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"It was a pleasant evening in which we ate well and we didn't drink too much, but we drank very well. I cannot say whether the president or the general manager liked me, but I always showed respect and spoke well.
"I felt I was ready to coach a big club a year ago, and I still feel ready."