AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri has branded Carlo Ancelotti as "fortunate" to have had the chance to coach some of the club's former stars in their prime.

The 45-year-old has come under pressure at the San Siro following the high-profile departures of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

He has now hit back at critics by stating that the club needed a fresh approach, claiming that he would have loved to have had the talent Ancelotti had at his disposal.

"We needed a generational change, which may not be nice but that is how life goes," ESPN quotes Allegi as saying.

"Carlo Ancelotti was fortunate to manage men like Gennaro Gattuso, Pippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta and Clarence Seedorf at the peak of their careers. I would have liked them in my squad too, when they were seven years younger!

"It takes courage to make painful decisions like Milan have but to keep speaking about these champions is disrespectful to those players who have remained."

Allegri took charge of the Rossoneri in June 2010.