Former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga has insisted that ex-Nerazzurri midfielder Radja Nainggolan never caused any trouble when they worked together at Cagliari.
Nainggolan has faced disciplinary action at Royal Antwerp after being caught smoking on the bench during a league match in Belgium, and is currently banned by the club.
It comes after a spate of off-the-field incidents during his time with Inter, but Zenga insisted that the former Roma star had always made himself available to the team during his time in Sardinia, in an interview published in today’s newspaper edition of L’Unione Sarda.
“Radja immediately made himself totally available to me, without ever creating any problems for me. We had an open relationship, also because as a footballer, by nature, I was a bit like him,” the former Nerazzurri goalkeeper claimed.
“How I wished I had the chance to start the season and maybe even get booed by the fans at the stadium.”
Zenga worked with Nainggolan when he coached Cagliari from March until August 2020, and insisted that the 34-year-old was the kind of player that he had always wanted to in his teams.
“Anyway, I would always want someone like Radja with me. I don’t know how the strength in his legs are now, but I don’t think it’s a big problem,” the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers coach claimed.
Nainggolan joined Inter from Roma in 2018 as part of a transfer that saw Nicolo Zaniolo move to the Giallorossi, and scored seven goals in 41 appearances before joining Antwerp this summer.
The former Piacenza player spent two seasons on loan at Cagliari during his time with Inter, having previously played for the Sardinian club before signing for Roma.
