Hernanes insists his words upon signing for Inter were not a dig at new team Juventus.
The Brazilian international made a point of stressing that the Nerazzurri had never been relegated to Serie B when he arrived from Lazio, with the Old Lady having been demoted in 2006 in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal.
When it was announced on Monday that the midfielder would be moving to Turin, his words were inevitably dragged up, but Hernanes played down their significance.
Hernanes insists his words upon signing for Inter were not a dig at new team Juventus.
The Brazilian international made a point of stressing that the Nerazzurri had never been relegated to Serie B when he arrived from Lazio, with the Old Lady having been demoted in 2006 in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal.
When it was announced on Monday that the midfielder would be moving to Turin, his words were inevitably dragged up, but Hernanes played down their significance.
“Nobody made me say it, I just said what I felt,” the 30-year-old explained in his presentation Press conference.
“When I first started playing professionally, the main thing I didn’t want was to go to Serie B, since I was fighting relegation, and I thought it was a nice thing [that Inter had never been relegated], so I stressed that positive point.
“That’s the past, now I’m here and I’m happy, and I will emphasise the good points of this club. Beyond all polemic, this club has always won, in every sense.
“I hope to help the club to continue winning, and I have to focus on that.”
Hernanes has left Inter with the Nerazzurri top of the League, and a Juve side which is in the relegation zone after losing the first two Serie A matches.
“You can’t judge anything in football after one or two games. Juventus have done well for four years, everyone inside and outside Italy knows their strength.
“Some important players have left, and one of the strengths was that the team hadn’t changed much in four years. Now we have to learn to fill the space left by those players.
“But right now, for me, this is the team to beat in Italy and in Europe.”
The playmaker attracted criticism during his 18 months at San Siro, with some claiming he is not consistent enough.
“Let’s define that. What do you mean inconsistent?” Hernanes demanded.
“Go and get my numbers. 160 matches in Serie A, 40 goals – so that’s a goal every four games. If you’re talking about a year, this is my average.
“If you’re talking about one year being more or less, then you have to define it to say something like that.
“That said, I’m here to do things I’ve never done, to improve my numbers and continue to grow. I think I can improve and achieve even more, and that’s why I’m here.”
image via @juventusfc