Massimo Oddo leaves AC Milan Futuro: the split is official
It is now confirmed: Massimo Oddo has departed as head coach of AC Milan Futuro. The manager, who took charge of the Rossoneri’s reserve side in February 2025 during a period of real crisis — with the team battling to avoid relegation — personally requested to end his relationship with the club in order to pursue a new professional challenge.
Oddo, a former full-back of considerable pedigree who wore the AC Milan shirt between 2004 and 2008 before going on to carve out a managerial career, was ultimately unable to steer Milan Futuro back onto an upward trajectory. The team was relegated to Serie D despite his arrival, and in the subsequent season failed to win promotion back to Serie C, even despite a transfer budget that outstripped virtually every other side in the division.
A season that fell below expectations
Behind-the-scenes reports suggest that the relationship between Oddo and the club gradually deteriorated over the months, not solely due to results on the pitch. The management of the Serie D season raised several questions, and the promotion ambitions that seemed like a natural objective for the project never materialised.
It is worth noting that responsibility for Milan Futuro’s struggles does not fall solely on the manager’s shoulders. Several errors in transfer planning and squad construction created organisational difficulties that made Oddo’s task considerably harder than it should have been. A well-funded squad failing to make its mark in Serie D is a signal that invites reflection across the entire structure.
Who will take over?
Reports suggest a foreign manager will be appointed as the next Milan Futuro head coach, alongside a very deliberate philosophical shift: the Rossoneri reserve side is expected to play the same formation and system as the first team under Amorim. A smart and coherent choice, one that would allow young Rossoneri players to develop within a tactical framework they already know, easing the transition between squads and creating genuine continuity of identity.
This kind of approach — already applied with great success by clubs like Manchester City through their academy structure — represents an important step in organisational maturity for AC Milan. Building a footballing identity that runs from the youth teams all the way through to the first team is the right path to maximising the potential of the Rossoneri’s homegrown talent.
A farewell, not a failure
Massimo Oddo deserves respect for taking on a difficult assignment in a moment of genuine emergency. The experience with Milan Futuro did not yield the hoped-for results, but football is full of such stories. AC Milan looks ahead with the conviction that the reserve team project is fundamental to the club’s future and to the development of its most promising young talents.
