Roberto Mancini said he hopes to get stuttering Inter Milan back to winning ways quickly after returning to the Serie A giants for a second spell as coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal on Saturday.

"I don't have a magic wand," Mancini told reporters in Milan.

"In football you don't have much time. So as of today, we have to start working hard and get back to winning as soon as possible."

Mancini, who spent four success-laden years with the club in 2004-2008, has replaced Walter Mazzarri, who was sacked on Friday after Inter had slipped to ninth in Italy's Serie A with only four wins from their opening 11 games.

Mancini's contract will expire in June 2017, with reports claiming he is set to become the league's highest-paid coach in history.

Gazzetta dello Sport on Saturday claimed the deal will total 21m euros gross with Inter expected to pay him 14m before tax over the next two seasons.

Having led the Nerazzurri to a club record of three consecutive league titles plus two Italian Cups and two Super Cups in his previous stint in charge, Mancini was welcomed back to the club with open arms.

But despite being hotly tipped to replace Mazzarri since last month, former Manchester City manager Mancini, who was out of work after leaving Galatasaray in the summer, claimed his return was totally unexpected.

"I never thought I would come back to Inter after 10 years, but they convinced me to come back after laying out their vision for the future," said the Italian.

"Inter called me on Thursday night."

He added: I'm very happy with the enthusiasm shown by the fans. We have to use that to attract them back to the stadium, but above all to start winning games. That is fundamental.

"It's hard to compare with my first experience here 10 years ago, when I was much younger. Every experience is different."

In his four-year spell with City Mancini led the club to the league title in 2012, but the Italian ultimately failed to take the English giants past the last 16 knockout phase of the Champions League.

In his single season with Galatasaray, Mancini led the Turkish giants into the last 16 of the competition having notably held Juventus to a 2-2 draw in Turin in his first game in charge.

Mancini said the experience gleaned from his stints in both England and Turkey has enriched his vision on coaching in the sport.

"I've had some great experiences working abroad, with different players and different football experiences, and I've learned a lot in these past six years," he said.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world, Galatasaray is a great club and that was an extraordinary experience.

"When a coach does these things, it's a great help. Now, I'm back at Inter and these six years will be a huge help."

Mancini, however, played down suggestions that he could on to be the club's new Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager who spent 27 years at the Old Trafford helm.

"Ferguson stayed at United for 27 years. I don't think I'll be at Inter for the same time," smiled Mancini.

"I'm thinking of the present, not the future. We're thinking of getting back to winning."