Nicolo Barella has thanked Antonio Conte for helping him develop as a player during the midfielder’s time at Inter.

Barella is the man of the moment in Milan thanks to his excellent performances for the Nerazzurri, especially the one against Juventus in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia victory.

The Italian international has improved significantly since joining from Cagliari 18 months ago and Barella has stated that Conte has played a big role in his development.

“We have a good relationship, he’s a pretty straightforward person like me, we say things to each others face,” Barella said in an interview with Italian broadcaster DAZN.

“He has helped me so much in my development and therefore I owe him a lot because he believed in me.

“I owe a lot to other coaches too, but Conte made me take the step I needed in order to do well in a great team.

“At the beginning I struggled because it wasn’t easy, but Conte with his attitude made me feel calmer.”

The 23-year-old has played in every single one of Inter’s 25 matches across all competitions and has been one of their best performing players.

During his time on the pitch, which totals just over 1900 minutes, Barella has scored two goals and has also provided a total of eight assists for his Nerazzurri teammates.

He was involved in both goals last weekend during the 2-0 win over Juve, setting up Arturo Vidal’s opener before adding the second himself.