Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni has hailed defender Andrea Ranocchia for the way he's turned his career around.
Stramaccioni admits the defender could easily have quit Inter in the summer.
"He's the proof of just how fickle football is. When I came here I said to him, 'Andrea, I'm sure you're an excellent player, you train well, but at the moment I don't think you're ready for the starting eleven.'
"That same player, with the same coach, looks totally different now and is massively motivated, thanks partly to the work our directors Branca and Ausilio have done to give him confidence. He stayed with us despite the fact there were offers for him and today he's a sure thing for Inter and Italian football."