Antonio Conte hailed 'gentle giant' Romelu Lukaku after the striker scored on his Inter Milan debut to help his new side to a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Lecce.
Lukaku was identified as Inter's priority target after Conte took over from Luciano Spalletti this summer and the 26-year-old did not let his new manager down on Monday night.
The Belgium international only managed 15 goals in all competitions for Manchester United last term, but got off to the perfect start this season following his £74million move, finding the net in the 60th minute of Inter's Serie A opener.
Goals from Marcelo Brozovic and Stefano Sensi gave Inter a two-goal lead at the break and Lukaku soon increased the deficit with a close-range strike after Lautaro Martinez's initial shot was saved by Gabriel.
Antonio Candreva put the icing on the cake for Inter with a spectacular fourth goal as newly-promoted Lecce endured a miserable evening at the San Siro.
Conte praised Lukaku's attitude following the win and highlighted the forward's selfless link-up play in a new-look Inter attack.
'Lukaku stepped into the Inter world in the best possible way, with great humility,' the Italian said.
'He is a gentle giant, always has a smile on his face. He's ready to work for the team and at the disposal of his team-mates.
'I also want to highlight that Lautaro Martinez also played very well and everyone deserves praise today.
'It was only the first game, so we can celebrate until midnight, but from 00.01 we have to start thinking about the next match with Cagliari.'
While Conte was, on the whole, satisfied with Inter's performance, he was critical of his players for a drop in intensity following their two opening goals.
'We started with the right intensity and respected the idea of football that I wanted. However, I did not appreciate at all the minutes after we went 2-0 up and I told the lads that. I wanted us to immediately get back on it and not be distracted or think it was over,' he said.
'Having said that, yes, it was a good performance and you can see the ideas there. It's an excellent result, because Lecce are a good team and there is always the risk of stumbling in these fixtures. We didn't want that risk for us or our fans.
'We have some more steps to take, such as improving the mental consistency and focus, but I am very satisfied and it is a pleasure to work with these lads.
'Sensi and Brozovic are very versatile players who have a lot of quality on the ball. They would struggle in a two-man midfield, but with three they do very well. The same goes for Nicolò Barella and Roberto Gagliardini, as we have players that allow us to change line-up without losing the shape or idea of the team.
'This version of 3-5-2 is certainly a more attacking evolution of the old 4-2-4. I think that I have the men suited to this type of system and midfielders ready to push forward.'
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