MOSCOW. — Manuel Pellegrini can take Zenit St. Petersburg to another level if the Chilean decides to take over as manager of the Russian club at the end of the season, according to former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis.

Zenit coach Andre Villas-Boas has announced his intention to step down in May and Pellegrini, who is leaving Manchester City this year, has been strongly linked with the job in Russian media.

Zenit asked Pellegrini to become their head coach in March 2014 but the 62-year-old chose to stay in Manchester. The St Petersburg club are now reportedly ready to offer him 3,5 million euros a year to take the job.

“Pellegrini is a great coach and I am one hundred percent sure that at all levels he is a much better manager than Villas-Boas,” Kanchelskis, who is coaching Solyaris Moscow in the Russian second division, told Reuters by telephone.

“I don’t know how quickly the Chilean will adapt to Russia, but he can certainly take Zenit to a higher level.”

Villas-Boas has enjoyed mixed fortunes at the Petrovsky Stadium.

The only major trophy he won was the Russian league title in 2015 and Zenit — bankrolled by energy giant Gazprom — have yet to make it past the Champions League round of 16.

Villas-Boas (38) was handed a six-match touchline ban after pushing an official and he has been at loggerheads with the Russian Football Union (RFU) regarding the foreigners rule in domestic games which allows a coach to play a maximum of six non-Russian passport holders at any one time. — Reuters.

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