With Russo's departure, Damián Ayude will take over as coach at San Lorenzo.

Damián Ayude is one step away from replacing Miguel Ángel Russo as head coach of the first team at San Lorenzo. The current Reserve coach is reportedly one signature away from taking over as Cuervo's coach, although he must first conclude his participation in the Torneo Proyección, where his team will face Newell's this Thursday in the round of 16.

Ayude would thus join the list of coaches who have moved from the Reserve to the First Team. Meanwhile, as he finalizes the last details of his coaching staff, it is already known that Gastón Romano and Gustavo Rojas, current assistants, would be the fitness coaches, and that Juan Carlos Docabowill continue as goalkeeping coach.

The professional squad is on break until June 16, when it will resume training at Ciudad Deportiva with its sights set on the match against Quilmes in the Copa Argentina, scheduled for July 1.

Who is Damián Ayude?

At 43 years old, Ayude arrived at San Lorenzo in April 2024, when "Pipi" Romagnoli took charge of the First Team. Under his leadership, the Reserve showed solidity, reaching the final of the Copa Proyección last year and, in the current edition, finishing fifth in the regular phase, which earned the team a place in the round of 16.

Before arriving in Boedo, he worked as an assistant with youth national teams of Argentina and Venezuela, and was part of Nicolás Larcamón's coaching staff at León and Cruzeiro.

With a strong developmental profile, he promoted several players to the professional squad this year, including Ignacio Perruzzi, Teo Rodríguez Pagano, Agustín Ladstatter, and Branco Salinardi. He was also essential in the development of Orlando Gill, a goalkeeper now established in the First Team.

His team's performance attracted interest from clubs such as Nueva Chicago and Temperley at the end of last year, but on both occasions he chose to remain at San Lorenzo.