Paris Saint Germain boss Carlo Ancelotti has urged AC Milan to stop dwelling on past glories and embrace a new generation of players.
The Rossoneri are currently languishing in 15th place in the fledgling Serie A table with head coach Massimiliano Allegri's position already under threat.
Former AC Milan boss Ancelotti signed Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his ambitious Ligue 1 outfit in the summer from Milan, while a host of veterans including Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi were allowed to leave last season's Italian runners-up for pastures new.
But Inzaghi promptly returned to the San Siro in a coaching capacity and Ancelotti has backed the retired striker to play a key role in reversing Milan's fortunes.
The 53-year-old, who won one Scudetto and two Champions League trophies during his eight years in charge of Milan, told Italia 2: "Who do I see as my heir? Pippo Inzaghi.
"We often speak on the telephone and he's highly motivated.
"The important thing is that he can still think like a player as well as like a coach, the rest will come with experience.
"I often speak with (Milan vice-president) Adriano Galliani. The squad has lost a lot of top players, so it's difficult to perform miracles.
"In any case, they need to stop using the departures as an excuse and instead use them as a springboard.
"Sure, they don't have the quality of last season, but no-one would have thought they'd lose three games from their first four in the league.
"You can take a few preventative measures against a difficult season, when you've made a lot of changes, but I never expected a Milan like this."
Despite their disappointing start to the season, Milan can take heart from some spirited performances from youngsters Francesco Acerbi and Stephan El Shaarawy, the latter scoring a sensational goal from distance against Udinese on Sunday.
Ancelotti added: "The hardcore of the team is failing and so now it's important that the new players bring the atmosphere back (to the San Siro).
"Sometimes losing important players can spur a team on to find new ways of playing.
"They just need to stay strong and be confident.
"They can't risk throwing everything away while times are bad - they just need to stay united and weather the storm."
