Inter Primavera midfielder Cesare Casadei is flattered by comparisons to top midfielders in Serie A, but he knows that he has to keep working and improving.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, the 19-year-old spoke about comparisons to Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as well as to the Nerazzurri’s senior midfielders.
Casadei has taken his goal tally to twelve for the seasons, and he has been one of the major revelations for Christian Chivu’s Primavera side.
The young midfielder has impressed, but he is also nowhere near ready for the senior game and is under no illusions that he can get to that level without time and significant hard work.
It remains to be seen what the next step for Casadei is and how the club will decide to handle his development in the coming seasons, but for now he is giving a very good account of himself at the youth level.
Regarding comparisons to Milinkovic-Savic, he said that “I like him a lot for the characteristics he has and for the way he plays, he’s a player from whom I draw inspiration. But to get to those levels you have to work hard.”
“At Inter I obviously look up to the midfielders,” he added, specifying “Barella and Brozovic in particular.”
As to the qualities he most admires in those two, Casadei named “Intensity in Barella, calmness with the ball in Brozovic.”
Regarding his current season, Casadei said that “I’m very happy with how it’s going, but my only thought is always to make myself available to the team.”
“I always try to do something more than what I’ve already done,” he added. “I know I have to improve, I work every single day with the coach. And I do it thinking about the collective goal, which is to win the Scudetto.”
Regarding Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, Casadei said that “He’s a great coach, he knows how to deal with players, he knows what they want – you can see the results on the pitch.”
Asked whether he dreams of playing in senior Milan derbies with the Nerazzurri, the midfielder said that “It’s undoubtedly something I think about, but I’m also aware that to get there you have to take it one step at a time.”
“That’s the dream, but I know that you must first go through sacrifice and work on the pitch,” he added.
On his role model at Inter, Casadei named “Zanetti, for his charisma and strength. But also for his flexibility – he could play in any position.”
As for his own best position, he said that “I play where the coach tells me, I try to interpret what he asks of me in the best way possible. I like to attack spaces and run in behind even without the ball, but also to have the ball at my feet.”
