Nicolò Barella will become a ‘decisive’ player for Inter under Antonio Conte, the midfielder’s former Cagliari head coach Rolando Maran assured today.
The Italy international completed a €45 million move last month and is expected to start the Nerazzurri’s first Serie A fixture against Lecce.
Maran worked with Barella last year as Cagliari preserved their top-flight status on the penultimate weekend of the season.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Barella has earned what he deserved by working hard on the pitch. He’ll keep improving and play at a very high level.
“We’ll be cheering him on when he plays for Italy and he’ll be decisive for Inter. It would be better if he only started doing that after they’ve played us on the second weekend of the season, though.”
Maran was confident Conte’s arrival would give Inter a chance of battling Juventus for the Scudetto this season.
He added: “The gap between the two sides has decreased, and it’s not because Juventus have made a backwards step.
“It will be difficult to dislodge those teams and Napoli from Serie A’s top three this year.”
Maran also described Radja Nainggolan as a ‘beast’, after the Belgian rejoined Cagliari on a season-long loan.
“Our sporting director Marcello Carli and owner Tommaso Giulini have pulled off a great signing,” Maran said.
“I knew what Nainggolan would give us but I’ve been speechless watching him in training. He can do everything very well.”
