Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed the suggestion that he could return to Chelsea to take over as boss.
Ancelotti spent two years managing the Blues, between 2009 and 2011, winning the Premier League and FA Cup.
Frank Lampard has been named interim manager until the end of the current campaign following the club’s decision to sack former boss Graham Potter, and Ancelotti has been touted as a possible option to take the job on a permanent basis.
But asked whether he could go back to west London, Ancelotti said: “No. I think Frank Lampard will do a very good job.”
“I am sad,” he responded when asked about Chelsea’s current struggles. “I have great memories of my time at the club. I had two very good years there.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAncelotti will host his former club at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, and he also warned his Madrid side that, despite the turmoil at Chelsea this season, they cannot be taken lightly.
“We have to respect Chelsea,” he said.
“They are not going through a good moment but they have a very good team. Sometimes when you’re at your worst, you bring out the best.
“We have to think it’s a 180-minute game and try to do well tomorrow. It’s not decisive, but we can help manage the second leg better.”
