The saga around who will be Inter Miami CF’s inaugural manager has taken another turn, as River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo has informed his players that he’ll be returning to the club in January.

Gallardo, a D.C. United midfielder during the 2008 season, has been in charge of River Plate since 2014. Most notably, he’s brought Los Millonarios to Copa Libertadores titles in 2015 and 2018, as well as a pair of Copa Argentina crowns. They finished as Copa Libertadores runners-up in 2019 to Brazilian side Flamengo.

🎙️ Gallardo, en conferencia de prensa: "Nunca tuve dudas sobre mi continuidad, el 2 de enero voy a estar acá y vamos a empezar la pretemporada, que puede ser en Uruguay, Buenos Aires o el sur de nuestro país. No me interesa generar ningún tipo de incertidumbre". pic.twitter.com/gzOtMRUTzi — River Plate (@RiverPlate) December 11, 2019

Gallardo has been linked to the expansion club in recent weeks, as has former New York City FC manager Patrick Vieira.

Miami are set to open their MLS season March 1 at LAFC, the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners. That’s roughly 12 weeks out, as sporting director Paul McDonough continues to assemble the roster.