Inter Milan vice president Javier Zanetti said that he believes Diego Simeone will one day return to coach the Serie A club.
The Atletico Madrid coach and fellow Argentina midfielder Zanetti played together at the San Siro in the two years Simeone spent there. Together they won the UEFA Cup for the club in 1998.
Despite the fact that Simeone has never made a secret of his desire to one day return to Inter as coach, Zanetti was reluctant to link his compatriot back to Inter amid reports in the Italian media that current boss Roberto Mancini is under threat.
"[Simeone] said that he would love to return to Inter in the future and coach," Zanetti told La Nacion. "Right now though, our coach is Mancini and out of respect for him and his work, it is not up to me to speak about another manager. Now, if we are speaking about the future, I imagine that one day Inter and Simeone will be together again."
Inter president Erick Thohir reiterated his support for Mancini, calling him the club's "star player" amid reports of continued unrest between the manager and the club's new Chinese owners.
Simeone's name has also been floated as a potential coach for the Argentina national team. He has been manager at Atletico Madrid since 2011, leading the club to La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Europa League titles, but has come up short in two Champions League finals.