Italian football is very competitive: Joao Mario

Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario, one of the recent signings of Italian football side Inter Milan, has said Serie A is "very competitive" and his team will have to work hard to finish in a qualifying position for an European competition.

"I hope to help (my team-mates) on the pitch. Italian football is very competitive, so we’ve got a lot of work to do," Mario said in an interview with official Inter television on Wednesday, reports Efe.

The midfielder, a Euro 2016 champion with the Portuguese national team, also said he is happy to have come to Inter and his new team-mates have welcomed him.

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"I am very happy to be here and today was my first training session. Now I want to prepare in the best way for Inter," he said.

Mario, 23, asked The Inter fans to support the team, which only managed one point in the first two rounds of Serie A in the current season

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