Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu feels that he has always felt a great desire to give a hand to the rest of the team.
The Turkish international spoke to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInterNews, after the Nerazzurri’s 3-0 Serie A win over Napoli.
Calhanoglu grabbed his first goal from open play this season against Napoli.
The 29-year-old had already scored six penalties for Inter. But he had yet to score a goal that did not come from the spot.
And Calhanoglu chipped in with a very important goal.
The former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder’s strike opened the scoring right at the end of a tough first half against the reigning Italian champions.
Moreover, Calhanoglu’s effort showed all of his quality.
The Turk hit the ball with great power, accuracy, and backspin from outside the penalty area.
This was certainly one the most eye-catching contributions that Calhanoglu has made this season.
But in truth, the midfielder has been right at the heart of things for the Nerazzurri in a variety of different ways.
Inter Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu On “Hunger” To Help The Team
Calhanoglu’s transition to playing in holding midfield has certainly made him more and more of a regular contributor in both phases of play for Inter.
“This style of play may not be something that people are used to seeing from me,” the Turk said.
“But I’ve always had that desire to help the team.”
“It’s not easy to be a regista after having been a trequartisa,” Calhanoglu continued.
“I analyzed a lot of different situations, The coaching staff helped me.”
“I take a few more yellow cards now,” Calhanoglu noted. “But that’s all part of playing in this position.”
And as far as the Serie A title race against Juventus, Calhanoglu said that “There’s still a long way to go.”
“We don’t know. There are also other teams still it it.”
“We’re only thinking about ourselves,” Calhanoglu stressed.