English star returns to Italy as coach
Posted: Wednesday December 16, 1998 05:16 PM
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Platt retired as a player over the summer John Gichigi/Allsport |
LONDON, England (AP) -- Former England captain David Platt flew to Italy
Wednesday preparing to take a coaching appointment at Sampdoria,
one of his former clubs.
The 32-year-old midfielder, who played 62 times for England,
hitting 27 goals, will appear at a news conference at the club in
Genoa on Thursday and could become the youngest coach in Serie A.
"For several years I have had a driving ambition to move into
management, but I never thought for a moment that I might be
fortunate enough to have the opportunity to start my management
career with one of the world's greatest clubs," Platt said before
leaving.
Platt retired as a player over the summer, following a 14-year
career in which he played for Serie A sides Sampdoria, Bari and
Juventus, plus English clubs Crewe, Aston Villa and Arsenal. He
scored 209 goals in 500 matches.
Sampdoria (3-4-6) fired first-year coach Luciano Spalletti
following a 5-2 loss at Lazio of Rome on Sunday. The defeat dropped
the club into 14th place in the 18-team league, just one point out
of the relegation zone.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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