Legendary former Inter, Real Madrid, and Sampdoria forward Antonio Cassano feels that Inter-owned midfielder Stefano Sensi can be a player at the highest level.

Speaking to Genoa-based newspaper Il Secolo XIX, the 39-year-old praised Sensi’s quality and named him as the best creative central midfielder among Italian players right now ahead of PSG’s Marco Verratti and Juventus’s Manuel Locatelli.

Sensi’s talent has never been in doubt, though he has struggled for regular playing time during his two and a half seasons at Inter, especially due to the recurring injury problems which have kept him out.

The 26-year-old completed a dry loan move to Sampdoria during the January transfer window, and will hope to take the opportunity to get back to his very best form, possibly in view of earning a starting spot at Inter.

Cassano believes that the midfielder has everything it would take to just that at the Ligurian club and establish himself as a world-class midfielder.

He characterized Sensi as “A sensational player. He belongs at top club. He impressed me even when he was still playing with Cesena, and then he exploded at Sassuolo and Inter.”

“For me he is better than Locatelli, Verratti, Jorginho,” he went on, “and if I were Mancini I would have no doubts about making him a key player.”

“He must be a pillar of the national team for the next few years,” Cassano went on. “His only weakness up to this point has been his physicality. He has suffered a lot with injuries.”

On what he sees Sensi’s best position as, Cassano said that “I would ask him where he thinks he is able to be most effective. Mezzala, attacking midfielder, playmaker, second striker, he can do everything for me.”

“Have him tell me himself,” he went on. “And then depending on his answer I would field the other ten players accordingly.”

“An intelligent coach has to adapt to the best players he has,” he went on. “In my day, for example, coaches actually approached me to tell me where I should be, what I should do, but then in the meantime I decided on the pitch, I positioned myself where I wanted. And I think I enjoyed myself on the pitch a lot.”