It’s easy to have at least a shred of sympathy for Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian was shown the door at Bayern Munich just 11 matches after clinching the Bundesliga title by a whopping 15 points the season prior.

With only seven points dropped in all competitions, Bayern decided to oust Ancelotti and reinstate Jupp Heynckes at the Allianz Arena for the third time in his career.

Talk of dissatisfaction among the squad regarding indolent training sessions no doubt contributed to his fate, but it does little to take the sting out of his departure.

In fact, it may well have prompted some to reconsider their perception of Ancelotti as a world-class manager.

Not everyone has been so quick to come down on the 58-year-old, though one needs only a glance at his trophy cabinet to see why.

Ancelotti has managed in each of the big five European divisions, winning four league championships, five domestic cups and three Champions League title.

Irrespective of what went wrong at Bayern, his track record suggests a man of his age surely has more to give at the highest level.

Ancelotti – who will continue to be paid by his former employers until next year – has been linked with a handful of vacancies around the world.

Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande has been thought to be seriously interested with Luiz Felipe Scolari expected to leave once his contract expires at the end of November.

Several meetings have reportedly been held between the two parties as the seven-time champions seek a new boss to maintain their dominance of the region.

While Ancelotti has the CV to trump most of his peers on paper, it seems Guangzhou have overlooked his pedigree in favour of a far less decorated alternative.

In a rather embarrassing turn of events, the Chinese powerhouse would prefer to bring back Fabio Cannavaro following his first spell between 2014 and 2015, according to Goal.

Interestingly, Scolari replaced the 2006 World Cup winner at Guangzhou last time the club changed managers, and now the tables have turned.

Ancelotti certainly boasts a more glittering career on the touchline than Cannavaro, though it seems Guangzhou place great value in the latter being familiar with the Chinese game.

The 44-year-old helped Tianjin Quanjian earn promotion to the top-flight last season – a remarkable effort considering they were eighth when he took over in June last year.

Whether or not Ancelotti would’ve entertained the idea moving to China is unknown, but that question is set to remain unanswered for the time being.