AC Milan fired coach Sinisa Mihajlovic on Tuesday and replaced him with youth team coach Cristian Brocchi until the end of the season.

    Brocchi becomes Milan’s fifth coach in little more than two years. It is the 40-year-old Italian’s first senior coaching role. “Our most sincere thanks go to Mr Mihajlovic for the work he has done with dedication and honesty,” Milan said in a statement.

    Mihajlovic, a former Inter Milan player and assistant coach, joined Milan from Sampdoria in June and steered the team to its first Italian Cup final since 2003.

    His future at Milan was reportedly linked to the outcome of the final, against defending champion Juventus, but two straight league defeats — against Atalanta and Juventus — made club owner Silvio Berlusconi act earlier. Milan is without a win in its past five matches to leave it in danger of failing to qualify for Europe for a third straight season.

    (SD-Agencies)