Moratti: Leonardo has my trust

Inter president Massimo Moratti said new manager Leonardo’s work last season at AC Milan gave him confidence to hire the Brazilian.

After former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez left the club by mutual consent following a rocky six-month spell at the current European Champions, Moratti quickly sought a new appointment.

On Christmas Eve (December 24) it was announced that Leonardo – who led Milan to a third-place finish in the Serie A season – would be the new manager of his former club’s rivals, Inter.

The brand of attacking football Leonardo encouraged his sides to play was regarded as aesthetically pleasing and Moratti said it helped him in his decision to appoint the 1994 World Cup winner.

“Leonardo is a very intelligent man, something I noticed back from our first meetings during his playing career,” Moratti told Il Corriere dello Sport.

“Last season he showed at Milan that he is also a great coach who can do excellent work.”

The Inter president explained that he wanted the appointment sorted out before Christmas as a gift to the club’s fans, and said the Brazilian was the logical choice.

“I thought it nice for the fans to spend Christmas knowing the name of their coach,” he said.

“It seemed to me a good present for them and the supporters certainly deserve it. I have respected and admired Leo for many years. ”

“When it became necessary to replace Benitez, he was free from contracts and it allowed him to join us without the need for further negotiations.”

Moratti also said he did not hire Leonardo to get at rivals Milan.

“We did not choose Leonardo to irritate Milan. We chose him because he has talent and can achieve great things with Inter,” he said.

“This will be an interesting adventure for him. He has the time to do things properly, I trust Leonardo and am happy he is with us.”

Inter’s Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar was also delighted with the appointment of his compatriot.

“He will be great. He is the right man for Inter and he is also my friend,” Cesar told Globoesporte.

“It is very important that he already knows Italian football very well. I think this is going to work.”