AC Milan set to sack manager if they face defeat against Inter Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will use his casting vote to decide whether to continue or fire AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca. Fonseca's status is now being evaluated in advance of Sunday's "away" Derby della Madonnina match against Inter. 

The Rossoneri have had a dismal start to their season, winning just one in five competitive games, putting Fonseca's job at risk. Following a particularly subpar performance versus Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, the clamour for the coach's resignation grew louder. 

Ibrahimovic presently serves as an advisor to RedBird Capital, the Milan owners, and Gerry Cardinale's local representative. On Thursday, he was at Milanello to speak with the players before training, which led to a small delay in Fonseca's session starting. 

The choice to fire Fonseca rests with Ibrahimovic, based on recent updates from Calciomercato.com. A resounding victory over Inter Milan in Sunday's derby appears to be the only thing needed for Fonseca to maintain his position, according to earlier reports. On the other hand, the update from Thursday afternoon indicates that he might even be fired earlier.

The reality that Milan doesn't have a chosen successor lined up at this point supports Fonseca and the chances of him sticking on for their Inter match on Sunday, though. The Rossoneri have been connected with the names of Maurizio Sarri as well as former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, however there is no official deal in place with any of them as things stand. 

“I have been here since day one” : Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke to the media after the Liverpool game as he addressed some criticism of him. The former Inter Milan striker said, "When the lion goes away, the kittens arrive. When the lion comes back, the kittens disappear," Ibrahimović said. "The level is very low, there is too much talk but I only think about working. I was away for personal reasons, but I have been here since day one."