Former Inter scout Massimiliano Mirabelli isn’t surprised that Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is enjoying the form that he is for the Nerazzurri.

Speaking to Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, the scout explained that Calhanoglu had been a player who he tried to sign while he was with the Nerazzurri, before he went to AC Milan instead.

Calhanoglu established a strong reputation for himself as a young player in the Bundesliga, first with Hamburg and then at Bayer Leveruksen.

The Turk’s form in Germany led to interest in his signature from a number of clubs, and it was AC Milan who eventually won the chase to sign him, bringing him in during the summer of 2017.

Over the summer the Nerazzurri took advantage of the midfielder’s contract expiring with the Rossoneri and signed him from their city rivals.

Inter are now beginning to reap the rewards for signing Calhanoglu in the form of some strong recent performances, but as Mirabelli explains, he could have ended up at the club quite a bit earlier.

“I knew of him when I was at Inter,” the former scout explained. “I followed him, I wanted to take him to the Nerazzurri.”

“Then I took him to Milan instead,” he went on. “He is a fantastic player, a midfielder who runs and gives a lot to the team even when not in possession.”

And of Marcelo Brozovic, a player who he helped sign, Mirabelli stated that “He and Ivan Perisic feel very much like my work.”

“I hope they both stay,” he went on. “Brozo has grown a lot over the years, he’s an extraordinary player. Losing both him and Perisic would be a shame for Inter.”