If there was anything to learn from Inter Milan’s dismantling of Torino this week it is that Cristian Chivu is not one for common wisdom.

Familiarity may well breed contempt, but in the Nerazzurri’s case it also delivered a resounding 5-0 win on their first Serie A fixture of the season, which made the Romanian the first foreign Inter manager to win on his league debut since Hector Cuper in 2001.

A simultaneously curious and bold appointment following Simone Inzaghi’s hasty exit for the riches of Saudi Arabia in June, the early signs are that Chivu’s reign will be one of evolution, rather than revolution.

The former Inter defender stuck to his guns on Monday night, picking almost the same XI that started the 5-0 shellacking at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

The demons of the debacle against Luis Enrique’s team will take some exorcising, but this was as effective a therapy as Chivu could have hoped for.

Petar Sucic was the only different face from Munich, as he replaced the suspended Hakan Calhanoglu in the line-up.

And while one game is a small sample size, it would not be surprising to see the Croat retain his place when the Nerazzurri welcome Udinese on Sunday night.

Sucic completed 52 of his 57 passes, set up one of Inter’s goals, completed four tackles and had two shots on goal.

As an audition, this could have hardly gone any better.

Inzaghi built his success on the midfield triumvirate of Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but at times last season their mortality was laid brutally bare.

Calhanoglu will turn 32 in February, just weeks after Mkhitaryan’s 37th birthday, therefore it is no real surprise to see them running on fumes.

Somewhat more puzzling was Inzaghi’s reluctance to trust Davide Frattesi and Piotr Zielinski, himself not exactly wet behind the ears at 31.

Italy international Frattesi made 47 appearances in all competitions, but only 16 of those were starts, while Pole Zielinski started 16 of his 39 appearances.

Inter looked to have aged overnight in Munich, their legs heavy and slow as PSG’s midfielders whizzed past them like kids on skateboards around a septuagenarian in a park.

Historic and humiliating as the thrashing was, it did not make the Nerazzurri a team at the end of a cycle, nor did the fact they finished the season empty-handed after having been on the cusp of a historic Treble as late as April.

What the defeat in the Champions League highlighted, though, was the need to rejuvenate an ageing squad. 

Seen through that lens, it is no surprise Inter have spent €57m (£49m) on three midfielders aged 23 or younger in the shape of Sucic, who arrived from Dinamo Zagreb for €14m, while Luis Henrique and Andy Diouf joined from Marseille and Lens for €23m and €20m respectively.

Sucic has impressed the most. Against Torino, he started off on the right with Barella in the middle, but soon took over playmaking duties.

It was a stunning way to announce his arrival on the Serie A stage, but there was nothing surprising about his performance, according to Croatia great Robert Prosinecki.

“He has the talent and ability on the ball, as he’s not afraid to hold onto it and try to make something happen or take a shot,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

“He’s improved in every aspect and is ready to keep learning. 

“You might be able to find midfielders out there who are bigger and more powerful than him, but in the end it’s always that truly sets a player apart.”

Sucic’s performance against an admittedly dismal Torino side (see those Sofascore stats) also marked a significant improvement from his displays at the Club World Cup when, deployed on the left of Inter’s midfield trio, he looked distinctly less assured.

A natural right-footer, for now at least the 21-year-old is most effective on the right, but his future could lie in a central role, a position currently occupied by Calhanoglu.

As Prosinecki noted, Sucic has the potential to become a complete deep-lying midfielder, commanding the game with his clear vision and distribution, while also being strong in winning the ball back.

“He was developed as a true box-to-box midfielder; you can see he’s capable of winning possession and driving forward,” he said. 

“However, he’s also frequently been used in a midfield pivot, which means he’s more than capable of operating as a deep-lying regista. 

“Inter have acquired a player with the versatility to cover any midfield position, and I am certain Sucic will become a cornerstone of the new era.”

Like Prosinecki, Sucic is a product of the conveyor belt of talent that is Dinamo Zagreb’s youth academy and for all his maturity, it is worth remembering he only made his senior debut four years ago.

A season-long loan to Zrinjski Mostar followed, before a return to Zagreb delivered nine goals and six assists in 66 games in all competitions, including a stunning finish in his first Champions League start against Monaco last October.

In the torrential rain in Zagreb, Dinamo broke forward from a corner on the stroke of half-time, with Martin Baturina beating his man, before checking back and playing a cross-field pass into Sucic’s path.

Having sprinted the length of the pitch, he dummied past Monaco left-back Caio Henrique before gently dinking the ball over goalkeeper Philipp Kohn to open the scoring. It was a superbly composed finish, particularly on a waterlogged pitch.

“It was raining so much I didn’t think we’d play,” he recalled. “But it was my European debut, and I was thrilled. I went on to score one of the best goals of my life. It was a night I’ll remember forever.”

Chivu will be hoping Sucic can now make similar memories with Inter, having followed the same path his compatriot Marcelo Brozovic took 10 years ago by swapping Croatia’s biggest club for the Nerazzurri.

In eight years at the San Siro, Brozovic won five major trophies and reached two European finals, scoring 31 goals and setting up 43 in 330 appearances in all competitions.

Sucic, of course, is not only the Croat to have landed in the city of the Duomo this summer. But while AC Milan have opted to rebuild around 39-year-old Luka Modric, a new wind is blowing on the Nerazzurri side of the Navigli.