Inter Milan defender Cristian Chivu feels he's been played out of position for much of his career.

Chivu joined the Nerazzurri in 2007 from Roma, but he maintains that he's not been able to prove himself in his preferred role.

"I'm a centre-back," he told Sky Sport Italia. "Try playing Douglas Maicon in the middle or Walter Samuel at full-back and see how they get on…

"I play as a left-back in times of emergency. Perhaps I should have made that clear in my first year here, but it's too late now.

"Playing as a full-back for four years has been difficult for me because it is not my role. A lot of things change for me."

The stopper added that he thought he had been offered a new lease of life after the club hired 3-4-3 boss Gian Piero Gasperini in the summer.

"I worked as a centre-back under Gasperini," he noted. "In three months I got back the desire I had lost in four years."