Departing Ranocchia bids a fond farewell to Hull City

Andrea Ranocchia insists that he does not regret his loan spell with Hull City.

The 29-year-old defender joined the Tigers from Internazionale in January, but was unable to help Hull avoid relegation from the Premier League, despite their late-season improvement under manager Marco Silva.

As he returns to the San Siro, where he replaced long-serving skipper Javier Zanetti as club captain for the 2014-15 season, Ranocchia has penned a lengthy farewell message to Hull on his Twitter account.

“Although this year started with much uncertainty, I have always given everything I had to be ready,” wrote Ranocchia, who has been capped 21 times by Italy.

(Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images)

“After the first part of the season, I had the opportunity to make a radical change in my life; a new experience and I instinctively decided to catch it.

“I knew since the beginning the difficulties that I would face. Playing in a different way, the language and culture differences, but I had the fortune to meet a solid group of real men, an extraordinary technical and medical team and amazing fans – that even after the team has been relegated, kept supporting us until the end and ever after.

“Eventually I would have hoped for a different ending, but I got back home satisfied and proud, knowing that I have given my all and hoping that the team, the society and these incomparable supporters will return to where they belong.”