ROME (Kyodo) National team boss Alberto Zaccheroni has backed the signing of "small but explosive" defender Yuto Nagatomo to make his mark at club world champion Inter Milan following his loan move from Serie A rival Cesena.
"He (Nagatomo) may be small but he has explosive power," Zaccheroni told Sky Italia on Tuesday. "There are less and less talented full-backs like (Giacinto) Facchetti and (Antonio) Cabrini from days gone by. Nagatomo's presence is so important."
"He can operate on either side of the back line and knows how to attack."
Nagatomo, whose move to Inter was announced on Monday, is playing his first season in Serie A after signing with Cesena from FC Tokyo last July.