UNDER-FIRE Fabio Cannavaro will remain coach of struggling Guangzhou Evergrande for now, but only after a stinging rebuke from the club’s hierarchy who warned he needed to get things right.

Cannavaro’s two-year reign as manager had appeared all but over last week after the club announced that he would be sidelined indefinitely while captain Zheng Zhi was given temporary control of the Chinese Super League (CSL) leaders.

The 46-year-old Italian has since returned to the helm, the club said, but only after he submitted a “deep self-reflection” report regarding his performance.

The announcement on an official Chinese social media account late Sunday commended Cannavaro for “actively nurturing the achievements of young players.”

But it criticised his “weak ability to rectify mistakes, and insufficiently strict handling of players.”

“If you are going to do it, do your best,” Evergrande Group chairman Xu Jiayin told Cannavaro, according to the statement.

The giant real estate company owns the team.

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