The Azzurri boss Marcello Lippi has thrown his support behind Milan’s injured midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

The Rossoneri were dealt a huge blow to their Scudetto plans earlier this week, as it was revealed that their influential hard man Gennaro Gattuso requires an operation to his right knee, due to a ligament injury he picked up against Catania last weekend.

In the lead up to the operation, the Azzurri boss and close friend of Gattuso, Marcello Lippi, has sent a message of encouragement to the midfielder.

“I wish him all the very best for the operation, and I pray he makes a speedy recovery,” Lippi said in an interview with Sky.

“If your everyday player takes a month to recover from such an injury, then I am confident that Gattuso will take 15 days,” he added.

“I hope that his recovery takes around four months, and not five, to ensure he is available and fully fit for the Confederations Cup in June next year,” he concluded.

Gattuso will have the operation on December 19, and is expected to be out for the next five or six months.