Sampdoria sporting director Carlo Osti has spoken on former defenders Alessio Romagnoli and Milan Skriniar who will be lining up on each side of the divide when Inter play host to Milan this weekend in the Milan derby.

“They are two very strong defenders with different characteristics to one another. Romagnoli grew up in Rome and knew Italian football from an early age, while Skriniar had an exceptional adaptation because after six months he already fully understood the systems of Marco Giampaolo. It takes an above average attention that only an intelligent player has to achieve this. I would imagine they would have done well together because one is left-footed and the other is right footed.”

Romagonoli spent the 2014/15 on loan with La Samp and his form there earned him a €25 million move to Milan. Skriniar on the other hand – as Osti mentioned – enjoyed a spectacular rise at the club and after just a season on their books packed his bags and joined Inter two summers ago.