AC Milan legend Rino Gattuso says he was "wrong" to hit out at his former teammates this season.
Now with FC Sion in Switzerland, Gattuso has been critical of the culture inside the Rossoneri locker room in the last 12 months.
But he explained to Guerin Sportivo: "I've said this from the heart, but I was wrong. You cannot criticize just because you see dynamics that do not respond to your code.
"Carlo Ancelotti was right. He always told me: 'You'll see Rino, players are not all alike, no horse runs like another.'
"Now I understand. The error is to expect that the generation behind you is the same as yours. I did not like the hair of (Stephan) El Shaarawy, the eyebrows. Maybe now they miss my slaps. But I repeat: I was wrong.
"He is indeed proving to be a phenomenon."