Former Milan and Turkey manager Fatih Terim has heaped praise on Nerazzurri midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. The former Bayer Leverkusen man played under Terim during the veteran’s time with the Turkish national team.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via SempreInter), Terim reflected on Calhanoglu’s rise to the top.
“We have many important players of absolute value. We can count on and trust, for example, Hakan Calhanoglu who in my opinion has now become a phenomenon, a Serie A champion,” he said.
The 68-year-old was the one to hand Calhanoglu his first big break with Turkey, when he was still playing in the Bundesliga.
He said: “When he was 19, in 2013 and played in Hamburg, I gave him the national team shirt for the first time because I had no doubts. I know his potential well and I believe he can still improve and do more.”
The Mannheim-born Turkish midfielder has grown into one of Serie A’s hottest prospects in recent seasons. He moved to Milan in 2017 from Leverkusen, before stunning the Rossoneri and making a bold move to Inter at the start of the current season.
Terim: "Calhanoglu un fenomeno: può fare ancora di più" https://t.co/LN9DLCI4Uh
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His Turkey bowed out of their FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying run by going 3-1 down to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal at the Estadio do Dragao in the first play-off match.