Montella praise for ‘extremely intelligent’ Chivu during Calhanoglu visit | OneFootball

Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella visited the Inter training ground today to see Hakan Calhanoglu’s recovery, and praised ‘extremely intelligent’ Cristian Chivu.

The Italian tactician is currently back home so that he can meet up with some of the Turkish football talents who are playing in Serie A, as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

After seeing Juventus and Cagliari for Kenan Yildiz and Semih Kilicsoy, today Montella was in Milan for the Inter training camp.

Montella on tour of Serie A clubs

LEIPZIG, GERMANY – JULY 02: Vincenzo Montella, Head Coach of Turkiye, celebrates after the team’s victory in the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Austria and Turkiye at Football Stadium Leipzig on July 02, 2024 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“I am having a series of meetings, because we are getting close to the call-ups for the play-offs,” Montella told Sky Sport Italia.

“I received a warm welcome, and it was lovely to see Cristian again after so many years. Plus obviously Hakan too. So much depends on having players in good shape at the right time for international duty, so we’ve got our fingers crossed.”

Calhanoglu had been out of action since suffering a left soleus strain on January 11, during the Scudetto showdown with Napoli, but today was his return to training with his teammates.

Nicolò Barella also resumed work with the squad, so both are available for Saturday’s clash against Juventus.

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 29: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale celebrates after scoring their team’s third goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and ACF Fiorentina at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on October 29, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“It is always a classic, the Derby d’Italia generally is an exciting fixture. I expect a real spectacle, regardless of the result.”

Montella was teammates with Chivu when both were in the Roma squad, so they had a warm embrace as they were reunited.

“We were teammates, there is a great rapport, he’s a really good guy and I wish him all the best. He is proving himself to be a great coach who is extremely intelligent, so he’ll do well.”