Turkey international coach Vincenzo Montella maintains Inter have helped turn Hakan Calhanoglu into ‘one of the best midfielders in the world.’
The 30-year-old has been in Italy since joining Milan from Bayer Leverkusen at a cost of €23.3m in the summer of 2017, then switched to city rivals Inter as a free agent in 2021.
“He arrived at Milan with huge expectations. A great talent with wonderful technique, who in recent years has become the best midfielder in the world, or at least one of the best,” Montella told the Lega Serie A YouTube channel.
Calhanoglu had always been a trequartista playing behind the striker, but it was only after Marcelo Brozovic sustained an injury that the Turkey international was moved to a deeper role to fill in the gap.
This was meant to be temporary, but he flourished and became a key figure in Simone Inzaghi’s side as they marched first to the Champions League Final, then to win the Scudetto.
Calhanoglu flourished in new role
“Calhanoglu is able to dictate the tempo to the team, understand the various moments of the match,” added Montella.
“He has now become a mature, modern football player, because he can control both phases of the game and also reads the passing channels really well. The technique he always had has also remained unchanged.”
So far this season, Calhanoglu has scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 38 competitive appearances for Inter.
He is the captain of the Turkey international team after 84 senior caps, in which he found the net 18 times.