Davide Santon: 'I owe Jose Mourinho a lot'

Newcastle United fullback Davide Santon has hailed Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho for the impact that he had on him at Internazionale.

Santon, who was handed his senior debut under the the Portuguese manager while still with the Milan club, admits that he owes Mourinho a lot for him pointing him in the right direction.

"Jose Mourinho had a big influence on my career at Inter Milan," said Santon, according to The Mirror. "It was Mourinho who switched me from being an attacker to a defender. I was only 18 and had never played in that position before.

"I am now okay playing either side of the back four. Mourinho had faith in me to put me in that position and in the Inter first-team squad. I owe him a lot for pointing me in the right direction.

"It was a great experience working with Jose Mourinho and I will always thank him for what he did. I had some great times at Inter playing in the Champions League and winning the Milan derby against AC when David Beckham was my opponent."

Santon has made just six appearances since his arrival at Newcastle in the summer.