Thiago Silva ‘called Allegri’ for tips on how to beat Inter

“I’m passionate about football. This week, I called Allegri, a friend of mine, and I asked for some information about Inter,” said the Brazilian centre-back.

“He spoke highly of this team. He has great respect for them, just as I do. I managed to pass on some of this information to the team, and I think Allegri gave us good tips.

“We didn’t talk about Milan. I told him that perhaps I’ll visit him, Ibra and this great team in January.

“I’m pleased with our team’s performance. It’s not easy to play Inter this way. We knew it was a tough game,” Thiago Silva continued.

Thiago Silva: Fluminense ‘must rest’ after win over Inter

“I think we played well defensively. With the ball, we were unable to play as we are accustomed to, and it was tough to beat their pressure. Especially with this heat, it wasn’t easy to play.

“We are very satisfied with the qualification, but now we must rest because we play again in three or four days.”

Inter will return to Europe with even more issues to solve, especially after their captain, Lautaro Martinez, openly hit out at Hakan Calhanoglu, saying that he must leave if he no longer wants to fight for important targets at San Siro.

Thiago Silva spent three seasons at Milan, from 2009 to 2012, winning one Serie A title and one Supercoppa Italiana.

The Brazilian defender scored four goals in 79 appearances under Allegri before joining Ligue 1 giants PSG in a €42m deal in 2012.