MILAN – President Erick Thohir left Milan this evening but he’ll be back in two weeks’ time. That’s what he told a crowd of journalists as he fielded their questions on his way out of the Saras offices this afternoon after meeting honorary president Massimo Moratti.

He began by stressing the constructive relationship between himself and the Morattis: "We’ve always had good relations with the Moratti family. I think when Mr Moratti and his family chose me, they wanted someone who was credible and hard-working and who shared their same vision."

One of the hot topics in recent days has been Zanetti’s future and a mooted meeting between the captain and the president. He said: "I promised to see him on this trip but because of the meetings with Nike, the banks, the coach and some other commercial people it wasn’t possible. It doesn’t mean that it’s not important or that I don’t respect him but sometimes meetings just pile up."

Erick Thohir has also been busy trying to uphold and promote Nerazzurri tradition: "We’re building Inter Forever so I’m having discussions with people like Francesco Toldo,  Materazzi and Brehme. They’re all legends so we’re looking at how we can build something together. I’m open to discussions with anybody who’s part of the Inter family."

On his next visit to Milan: "I’ll be back in two weeks’ time for more meetings. We need to prepare for the 2014/15 season, and not only the team but also the business side. We’re planning to build an academy here and work with website companies in other countries. I need to review things every month."

Finally, he was asked about Mateo Kovacic: "He’s a great player. The coach is using him from the bench at the moment. He needs to grow and show the coach and everybody that he deserves to be a starter in the future."