Perisic set new targets as Inter boss revels in Man Utd snub

Luciano Spalletti has called on Ivan Perisic to take his game to another level after expressing his delight at keeping the Inter Milan winger from Manchester United’s clutches.

United boss Jose Mourinho had made the Croatian his top wing target this summer, but a transfer never went through with Inter refusing to accept the Red Devils’ bid for him.

And with the player since being rewarded with a new contract at the San Siro, Spalletti has now urged the player to take on more responsibility.

“The club has done good work to keep Ivan here,” Spalletti said at a press conference ahead of Inter’s home game against SPAL on Sunday.

“We all hold him in high esteem and see him as a great player and a great person. I see a footballer who can show the way, he’s an incredible example and he has to show it on the pitch because we all expect a lot from him.

“We know he’s willing to take this responsibility, you can see that in how he prepares.”

Inter have made a strong start to the new season, but Spalletti has been quick to deflect talk they could challenge for the Serie A title.

“You don’t build the base of a team in a day,” said Spalletti. “We’ve worked every day from the first time we met to become a strong team.

“Apart from the results, I’m happy with the attitude that I’ve seen up to this point. Results obviously affect the judgements made but what matters most is the road that you want to follow.

“We have to create something that allows us to move forwards next year, to create the criteria with which we can see who we are as a team. It’s okay with me if you say that we need to fight for Champions League qualification and we’ll have to check-in for that in games such as tomorrow’s if we’re to fly around Europe.

“We know that we need to close a certain gap with the top four teams and we want to do so by looking to win every single match. A team such as Inter can’t ever settle and we’re only happy if we win matches.”