AC Milan manager Vincenzo Montella has laughed off suggestions that he could be dismissed from his managerial role in the near future. The Italian said that he has been watching his funeral for a while after his side drew blank in the Europa League game against AEK Athens on Thursday night.

The Rossoneri won just one of their seven games in October including defeats to Roma, Inter Milan and Juventus. Milan also drew their doubleheader against AEK without finding the scoresheet, and this is a cause of concern for a side, who appear to lack cohesion among their players.

Speaking to Sport Italia, Montella assured that the club’s hierarchy are still behind him with the club still in pole position to achieve progress to the last 32 of the Europa League, he said: “It was a delicate match today, the next ones probably will be too. Suso had a muscular problem, so I didn’t want to risk him, but he’ll probably play at the weekend. I’ve been watching my funeral for a while. It gives you a new perspective on things. All joking aside, the club has faith in me and we’ll see.”

Milan are currently 12 points the final Champions League spot, but Montella’s focus, for now, will be for Sunday’s league game versus Sassuolo, which could have an implication on his future at San Siro. Meanwhile, skipper Leonardo Bonucci has backed the coach’s tactics versus AEK and feels the team should revive the enthusiasm they had in the early part of the season. He said: “We are the ones who step on to the field, it’s not just the ideas of the coach. We need to get results to bring back the enthusiasm we had this summer.”

Milan were initially identified as potential challengers for the Serie A crown, but it appears that they may have to settle for another difficult season with teams around them including Inter Milan having improved significantly since last season.