Gennaro Gattuso is set to leave his position as AC Milan coach while waiving his right to compensation.

The Rossoneri missed out on Champions League qualification on Sunday despite a season-ending 3-2 victory against SPAL in their final Serie A game.

Gattuso, a combative midfielder for the club in his pomp, still has two years left on his contract but he has elected to step aside now. He has confirmed he is leaving the club and will not be taking any compensation.

“Deciding to leave Milan’s bench is not easy but it’s a decision I had to make,” he said, according to Italian newspaper Repubblica.

“There was not a precise moment in which I decided, it was the sum of these 18 months as coach of a team that for me will never be like the others. Months that I lived with great passion, unforgettable months.

“Mine is a painful but thoughtful choice. “Am I giving up a two-year contract? Yes, because my story with Milan can never be a question of money.”

Gattuso took the top role at the San Siro in November 2017 after a spell as youth-team coach with the club.

AC Milan’s fifth-place finish in Serie A this season is their highest since the 2012/13 campaign, but seemingly the progress is not happening quickly enough for Gattuso.

Juventus have won eight successive Serie A crowns since Milan were last champions at the end of the 2010/11 season, their 18th domestic title.