Departing Italy U21 boss Luigi Di Biagio has defended his work after falling short at this month's Euros.

Di Biagio says he'll leave the job with head held high.

“We must separate our results of the last few years from what happened at this European Championship," he explained.

“I'd say that a great job has been done: we've brought through many young lads, we've shown to be competitive and so many have gone up to the seniors.

“Then there are the sore points because our result here wasn't positive, but it's not a failure for me.

“I will no longer be the Coach of the Under-21s. I thank everyone, from the directors to [FIGC youth coordinator] Maurizio Viscidi.

“The fault is ours alone, without looking for excuses. The main ones responsible are me and the lads who have been with me.

“But whoever says we have no style of play and don't run are wrong. We've had more shots, we've been more dangerous than the others.

“If Romania had won yesterday, you'd have all told me that I was the best..."