Roberto Mancini has returned to football management, it has been confirmed today.
In recent times, the Italian was linked with a number of different managerial vacancies, including jobs in the Premier League.
However, Zenit St Petersburg have today confirmed him as their new manager.
Mancini had been out of managament since August 2016 when his second spell with Inter Milan ended following a mutual agreement from both parties to part company.
He succeeds Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu, with the 71-year old given the boot after only being able to guide Zenit to an underwhelming third finish last term - which meant they failed to secure a spot in next season's Champions League.
The Russian giants have moved quickly in appointing Mancini, with the 52-year old putting pen to paper on a three-year contract. There is an option to extend that deal for two extra years if all goes well.
After calling time on his decorated playing career in 2001, having a loan spell with Leicester City cut short, Mancini took on the Fiorentina job and won the Coppa Italia under difficult financial circumstances in his only season at the helm.
He tasted Coppa Italia success with Lazio, where he had served as a player and an assistant manager to Sven Goran-Eriksson, in the 2003/04 campaign, before joining Inter Milan ahead of the new season.
Image: PA
With Inter, he won three Serie A titles on the trot - with the first coming as a result of the Calciopoli scandal that saw Juventus stripped of the 2005/06 Scudetto. Mancini also achieved Coppa Italia success a further two times, as well as winning the Supercoppa Italiana in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Though Inter were largely dominant domestically, Inter president craved Champions League and his desperation to to land club football's most precious prize saw Mancini sacked and Jose Mourinho brought in.
Because of a compensation settlement after his dismissal in March, Mancini was unable to go back into management immediately, but embarked on the next chapter of his managerial career when he was appointed manager of Manchester City in December 2009, following the sacking of Mark Hughes.
'Bobby Manc' became an instant hit with Manchester City fans, masterminding the club's first trophy win for 35 years after a Yaya Toure-inspired FA Cup win in 2011, before another drought was ended by the sky blue and white scarf-wearing boss and his squad, when City won their first league title for 44 years after a dramatic last-gasp 3-2 win over QPR in the 2011/12 campaign.
City failed to defend their Premier League crown the following year though, and reports surfaced that Mancini was already on his way out before the dismal 2013 FA Cup final defeat to Wigan, and his sacking was confirmed two days after.
Mancini's break from managament wasn't particularly long though, as he took the reins at Turkish giants at Galatasaray and won the Turkish Cup in 2014. His second spell with Inter Milan began later that year, though it was considerably less successful and culminated in his two-year spell ending last year.
He's back in management now though, and looking to deliver the goods in the third country of his managerial career.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics:Â roberto mancini, Inter Milan
