Marco Materazzi has likened current Inter midfielder to his former Inter teammate Dejan Stankovic in an interview where he also explained the importance of Nainggolan.
“Nainggolan is the new Stankovic for Inter. He recovers the ball, counters, skips past opponents and scores. It is difficult to play with Nainggolan if you do not play for Nainggolan, which is basically also what Roberto Martinez said when he explained why the Ninja was not in the 23 man squad for the World Cup. Radja is too important to play a secondary role.”
Nainggolan joined the Nerazzurri during the summer transfer window in a €40 million deal from fellow Serie A side Roma. His time with the club so far has been disrupted by injury with an ankle knock sustained during the Milan derby last month continuing to give him grief. The 30-year-old has made 13 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring three in the process.