Inter Per Sempre

"I am here to learn from a great coach like Mourinho and from all of my new team-mates."

APPIANO GENTILE - He came on for his debut in stoppage time of the Tim Cup victory over Fiorentina, and today he was presented to the media in a press conference at the training ground. MacDonald Mariga Wanyama was flanked by José Mourinho and Gabriele Oriali in the press room as he spoke about his arrival at Inter.

"I'm very happy to be here," said the Kenyan midfielder, who joins Inter after spells in Sweden and with Parma in Italy. "I am here to learn and I know I can do it with a great coach like Mourinho and with a very strong team like Inter. This is a very important experience for me and I'm happy. I'm also happy with my debut, even though I was very excited. I am here to learn from my team-mates, who are all champions. They can teach me a lot. As for my position, I will play wherever the coach wants me to."

Added Mourinho: "I'm satisfied that he's with us. I like him as a player, he can't play in every midfield position like Stankovic, but he can play in three. He can't play behind the strikers but he can play everywhere else in midfield. He's young, intelligent, humble and it will be a pleasure for me to help him grow. I like the way he works. Receiving a player from a good coach like Francesco Guidolin and having the chance to finish off such a promising product is a pleasure for me."

Mariga has been compared to John Obi Mikel, a former pupil of Mourinho. "He's faster than Mikel but less cerebral," explained the Inter coach. "We can't compare him to Patrick Vieira because Vieira was very experienced. He's a bit like Sissoko but has an even greater margin of improvement. In any case, he's a player I like athletically and psychologically. Me and his new team-mates will help him grow."

Mariga joined Inter on a co-ownership deal before transfer deadline day on Monday. Oriali explained: "There was the possibility to open negotiations on the last day of the transfer market, because there were some problems with another team that was interested in the player. We heard about it and we moved quickly to close this deal. We all rate Mariga highly. It's a pleasure to have him here."