Following the departure of Rino Gattuso, who is now the coach of Italy's national team, Gonzalo Garcia took over as the head coach of Hajduk Split. Garcia had earlier stated that Rakitic would be joining his coaching staff, suggesting that the veteran player had chosen to retire.

However, Rakitic has now denied these claims, stating that he has not made any official announcements about his retirement. He expressed gratitude for the messages he received and emphasized that there is still work to be done before he decides to hang up his boots.

Rakitic's contributions to Hajduk Split this past season were significant, as he played 38 games and helped the team secure a third-place finish in the league.