Inter vice-president and former captain Javier Zanetti believes it is no surprise that Cristian Chivu became a coach at the top level.

Chivu, who was team-mates with Zanetti during their playing days at Inter, became head coach of the club in the summer after Simone Inzaghi’s exit ahead of the Club World Cup.

The 45-year-old previously coached Inter’s youth sides before a short stint with Parma in his first senior coaching role earlier this year.

Chivu has won 12 of his 16 games in Serie A this season (L4), seeing his side score 35 goals and concede 14 as they average 2.25 points per game.

Zanetti explained why he felt Chivu was destined to become a top-level coach, insisting his current role at the club was earned.

“I’m very happy and very pleased because I think Cristian deserves this opportunity. Even when we were team-mates, Cristian was a very intelligent player,” Zanetti told Sky Sports.

“Now he’s dedicated himself to coaching, and we’re very happy and pleased that he’s managing our team. It was always clear he had the ability to develop as a coach.”

Inter currently lead the way in Serie A, sitting one point ahead of rivals AC Milan after 16 games, while they are also sixth in the league phase of the Champions League with two games to go.

Zanetti believes being competitive in all competitions should be the bare minimum for a club like Inter, especially in a tight title race in the domestic league.

“I see a very balanced season, especially in Italian football, because there are four or five teams separated by just one point,” Zanetti said of their trophy odds.

“The important thing is that Inter always competes. And I think that applies whether Inter is playing in the Champions League or in Serie A. We always prove to be competitive, and that certainly brings you much closer to success.”