Celtic icon Massimo Donati is set to be appointed as manager of one of Italy’s grandest clubs

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Celtic icon Massimo Donati is close to returning to football after agreeing to become the manager of one of Italy’s grandest clubs.

Donati is a cult hero at Celtic Park and even loves the club so much that he has a tattoo of the crest on his chest.

Since leaving the Bhoys in 2009, Donati admitted he regretted leaving Celtic and should’ve stayed.

The Italian has turned to management since hanging up his playing boots and is now close to landing a huge job.

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Massimo Donati reportedly set to become the new Sampdoria manager

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Donati is set to become the manager of Serie B side Sampdoria.

The former Celtic defender had a brief spell with the club as a player and will return with a view of returning them to the glory days.

Sampdoria survived relegation by the skin of their teeth after their demotion to Serie C was called off following Brescia’s financial troubles.

They then won a relegation play-off against Salernitana and under Donati, a new dawn and new ideas bring fresh optimism.

Massimo Donati managerial record

This is the biggest job Donati has landed in his career so far after roles with lower level Italian clubs and one in Greece.

His longest stint was with Legnago, where he was in charge for 80 matches in all competitions.

Donati’s record in all of his jobs has been relatively underwhelming but with a big project and club to rebuild, this could finally kick-start his career.