OMNISPORT

New York City FC midfielder Andrea Pirlo says he has no plans to return to Italy, seemingly ruling out a loan move to Inter in January.

Italy legend Pirlo moved to MLS side NYCFC upon the expiration of his contract with Juventus at the end of last season.

Pirlo, considered one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, signed off his time in Turin with a Serie A and Coppa Italia double, while Juve also was the runner-up in the Champions League.

It has been suggested that Inter boss Roberto Mancini is contemplating a surprise loan move for Pirlo in the January transfer window, but the 36-year-old quelled talk of a return to a team he played for from 1998 to 2001.

"I still want to play — I do not think about retirement," he told Corriere dello Sport. "But I want to honor the contract with New York City. I'm used to these rumors, but I do not move. I'm not in the U.S. to be on vacation, I'm here to have a winning experience."

Pirlo also suggested that Juve fought to keep him, but that his heart was set on a new experience.

"They wanted me to stay, but it was the right time to make a new experience after four fantastic years and having won everything they could win," he added. "For me, [moving to New York] was a way of life, a chance to learn something new."