England boss Fabio Capello was never a realistic chance of taking over the reins at Inter Milan following Jose Mourinho's departure, according to Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti.
After leading Inter Milan to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble last term, Mourinho moved on to the head coaching role at Real Madrid.
The reigning European champion identified a number of candidates to replace its departing coach, including Capello, but ultimately chose to hand the squad over to former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.
And Moratti insisted the Spaniard was always the preferred option.
"Capello was a realistic hypothesis that lasted two-and-a-half days, the time over a weekend which ended on the Monday," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"He wasn't in competition with Benitez, it was realistic but then it turned out not to be."
"Benitez is one of the coaches who had a certain type of international experience, I heard great things about him and we went straight for him."
"Benitez is very professional, works very hard and has similar work systems to Mourinho, studying the games and opponents."
"He guarantees serious work and, I hope, good results. On a human level he's educated, courteous, likeable, not too insistent even when talking about signings."
Inter has been noticeably quiet during the trade period, though Moratti recently confirmed that Mario Balotelli is almost certain to exit the club for Manchester City.
The San Siro chief has put his faith in the squad to achieve success again this season, dismissing the need for big summer signings.
"We have to push on with what we've got, a group that has done well," he said.
"There's a different coach who has a slightly different vision to the one who was here before but who will try to maintain our success."
"Then you can allow yourself the whim of youth. You don't have to look for a star but a functional player."