Legendary former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga believes that even though Inter could eventually sign Ajax keeper Andre Onana, they can still rely on captain Samir Handanovic.
Speaking to Inter TV, the 61-year-old gave the view that for the present Handanovic has still shown the qualities necessary to guide the team from the back.
Handanovic has come in for some criticism this season, with a number of high-profile errors leading to questions of whether he is still at the level required for a team of Inter’s ambitions.
This has been heightened by the fact that the Nerazzurri have been reportedly searching for a long-term replacement for the Slovenian, with Ajax’s Onana thought to be targeted next summer when he is out of contract.
However, Handanovic has also come up with important saves in a number of recent matches for his club, and Zenga believes that this shows that he is still the safe pair of hands that they need.
“Everything that is part of the future is something that we do not yet have in our hands,” he reflected. “If the Inter directors have thought highly of him, they will have considered him possessing those parameters that an Inter goalkeeper must have.”
“I’m staying in the present, which is called Handanovic, and in recent games he has shown that he is a great goalkeeper,” he went on.
On why second-choice Andrei Radu isn’t considered an option he stated, “When I played at Inter there were players who never played… If you have someone like Handanovic ahead of you, it is difficult for you to be taken into consideration.”
On whether he could return to the Nerazzurri as a coach Zenga stated, “In life, nothing is given to you by divine right, I have chosen a path to get to coach the Nerazzurri. Obviously my ability has not been evaluated to be sufficient by the managers, but I continue my career. I have the affection of the fans even after so many years since my retirement.”
On his Scudetto win he stated, “There was harmony in the team. I played 473 games in the team I love and I would have liked to play even more, that year was special but so were the other years I spent in the Nerazzurri.”
And asked whether there are similarities between this Inter side and the one he played in, Zenga stated that “There aren’t any, these are different times.
