Inter president Zhang praises Conte amid uncertainty

Inter coach Antonio Conte

Inter president Steven Zhang praised Antonio Conte as the Serie A giants plan for the future amid uncertainty over the coach.

After finishing second in Serie A, Inter fell short in the Europa League, suffering a dramatic 3-2 loss to Sevilla in the final on Friday.

Conte said afterwards Inter needed to plan "with or without me" as he cast doubt over his future.

Zhang praised Conte's work at San Siro before saying Inter needed to look ahead.

"We want to keep winning. It hasn't worked now but we'll try again next year," he told Sky Sport.

"The most important thing is to continue to grow because the future is bright. Conte and his technical staff are doing a great job.

"As I said, we'll rest for a few days and plan for the future."

Inter fall at the final hurdle #SevillaInter -#UELfinal #UEL#FORZAINTER  pic.twitter.com/qU3KEHgaRg

— Inter (@Inter_en) August 21, 2020

Romelu Lukaku scored an early penalty in the final against Sevilla, but Diego Godin's goal had Inter level after Luuk de Jong's brace.

But Diego Carlos' overhead kick deflected off Lukaku for what proved to be the match-winner with 16 minutes remaining.

Zhang was upbeat about Inter's campaign despite their near misses in Serie A and the Europa League.

"I think our season has been a positive one. Our path led us to this point where we could contest a final," he said.

"The whole club is doing some great work, on and off the pitch. We're working in this direction, win or lose, it's all a part of football, but competing at this level and giving our all is important and makes us optimistic.

"Now we'll rest. The players and staff deserve some rest. The new season starts soon and over the next few days, we'll work on the future but the mentality never changes."