Two years? Three years? Inter want the Serie A title this season - Lazaro

Valentino Lazaro says Inter aren’t thinking about winning Serie A in two or three years – they want to do it now.

The 23-year-old winger joined from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin this summer, in a deal worth €22 million (£20m/$25m).

While he had been expecting to start from the off, Lazaro is yet to make an appearance for Inter after suffering a thigh injury in pre-season.

He watched on as Antonio Conte’s side recorded two wins from their first two games and, after representing Austria over the international break, he is now ready to play his part.

“I can’t wait to play my first minutes for Inter,” he told LaOla TV. “I have been following Serie A for a while, you can see how great players have come to Italy and how the league is growing.

“The fans are crazy about football, it’s incredible. It’s something I’ve never seen. I can’t wait to experience the big games at San Siro.

“People talk about winning it in two or three years, but the clear goal for us is to win the Scudetto this year. The club’s ambitions are, of course, very, very high; I think Inter remains a world-class club, and now, after the changes this summer, with a new coach, new players and a new philosophy, the goals are even bigger.”

New boss Conte is already making a big impression back in Italy, with Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni describing him as ‘the Lionel Messi of coaches’.

In Lazaro’s absence, Conte has picked Antonio Candreva on the right wing, and the 32-year-old started the campaign with a Goal of the Season contender against Lecce. But now that he is fit again, Lazaro is expecting to be heavily involved.

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“From when I started training with [Conte], I had always trained in the starting line-ups," Lazaro said. "I was always there until I got injured. It was a shame to have been out for three weeks.

“But the coach told me not to worry, that I would immediately get back in shape and I would gradually fit in. And he hopes I can do very well.”

Inter return to domestic action against Udinese on Saturday, before beginning their journey into the Champions League’s ‘group of death’ – drawn with Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund – with a home fixture against Slavia Prague.

Lazaro would love to help Inter lift the Champions League again. But occupying his thoughts right now is the small matter of the Milan derby, which follows their first European game.

"Milan? It would be very special to play in that game, but I hope I can make my debut first and maybe play from the start in the next two games,” he added.

"In the coming years, the goal is to be able to bring the Champions League to Milan once again, with the coach, the president and the whole team.

“But I like to think that this year too we can focus on doing important things. Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are not such bad opponents.”