England’s World Cup foe Ivan Perisic had admitted that he wanted to join Manchester United in the summer.
The Croatian - who scored his side’s equaliser in the Moscow semi-final against the Three Lions - was strongly linked with Jose Mourinho’s men, with Mourinho left unhappy that his side failed to snap him up.
And speaking to Italian journalist Alessandro Rimi, Perisic says it was Inter boss Luciano Spalletti who convinced him to stay.
“I wanted Manchester United and I was about to accept, but I chose to stay because of Spalletti’s perseverance in wanting to play an important role, which are fundamental in football.
“In future I would like to play in other countries I hope the Nerazzurri fans understand “.