Nicolò Barella joined the right club at the right time by moving to Inter this summer, according to the midfielder’s former coach Gianfranco Zola.

Magic Box managed Cagliari for a brief spell in 2015 and gave the 22-year-old his first-team debut against Parma in the Coppa Italia.

Zola described Barella as ‘a modern midfielder’ and said the Italian still had plenty of room for improvement.

“He was very young when I gave him his debut but you could immediately see he played with real confidence,” Zola told FcInterNews.it.

“Barella can do everything you need from a midfielder nowadays: he can build play, take shots on goal and provide assists.

“He can certainly get better physically and defensively but a team as prestigious as Inter might be the best place for him to make these improvements. Antonio Conte can help him develop his game further.

“I’d be happy for him if he triggered all the bonuses in his deal and ended up being one of Inter’s highest-paid players ever, because it would mean he is progressing well and meeting all of his objectives.

“I appreciated him as a coach but I also grew to admire him as a person too. He seemed like a determined lad with very clear ideas.”

Last year, Barella gave an interview to SportWeek in which he discussed how he came from a family full of Interisti, before revealing Nerazzurri legend Dejan Stankovic was his childhood idol.

Zola admitted he saw similarities between the two, as well as with Barella’s new teammate Radja Nainggolan.

The former striker said: “Stankovic could be a good role model for him because he was a complete midfielder with great quality. I hope Nicolò can equal his achievements and then perhaps supersede them.

“Nainggolan is good at getting forward at shooting but he can also break up opposition attacks, and Barella has these characteristics too. I think he’s more of a defensive player than an attacking player.”

Zola spent last season working alongside Maurizio Sarri as his assistant coach at Chelsea, before Sarri moved to Juventus earlier this summer.

The 53-year-old came up against Romelu Lukaku while he played for Manchester United and gave his seal of approval to the Belgian’s eventual arrival.

“The Premier League gives you a great grounding both physically and athletically and for that reason he could have a big impact in Italy,” Zola added.

“I think Conte will be Inter’s real star player this year, though. He’s been out of the game for a season after leaving Chelsea and will be very determined to get going again.

“We know how good Antonio is at transferring determination, intensity and fight to his players. He’ll have even more of this inside him after taking a year out, so I believe Inter will be one of Juventus’ key rivals this season.”