Massimo Moratti has sung the praises of Inter president Steven Zhang and advised the Nerazzurri not to sell Lautaro Martinez, if they can avoid it.
Inter were confirmed as Serie A champions yesterday for the first time since 2010, after Atalanta were held to a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo.
Antonio Conte’s side were set up for success by the work done by Suning and Zhang, who appears to have a big admirer in Moratti.
“I’ve always liked Zhang’s humble and gentle approach, he’s a very sensible and careful guy,” Inter’s former owner and president told Gr Parlamento today during radio show ‘La Politica nel Pallone’.
“He presents himself without any presumption and tries to take things from everyone he speaks to, even though he knows what he’s doing and immediately understood what kind of environment he was coming into at Inter.
“I hope he can stay for a long time, because the Zhang family started out with great ambitions and they’ve immediately managed to come good on them.
“This has been a terrible year for industries around the world, particularly in China, but I think they’re working to ensure they can remain and kick-start their ambitions to do well at Inter again.”
Moratti was asked to pick out several single players for their contributions at Inter this season, choosing two strikers and two members of the Nerazzurri’s midfield.
He also offered his thoughts on Lautaro’s future though, with some reports last week suggesting that Inter might have to sell El Toro to balance their books.
“Romelu Lukaku was Inter’s talisman and their most important player, but Lautaro has an incredible class and it would be a shame to sell him,” Moratti argued.
“Nicolo Barella has given real strength to the midfield with his character, passion and tenacity, all of which is important to increase the personality of the team.
“And then there’s Christian Eriksen, who has shown he can manage his position in the team well.”
Moratti sold Inter to Erick Thohir at the end of 2013 and has not been involved at the club since.
