Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has said Antonio Conte's man-management style is "suspicious" and is holding him back from being a "top, top manager".
Costa played under Conte for one season at Chelsea, in 2016/17, leading the club's scoring charts with 20 goals and playing a pivotal role in the Italian's Premier League title-winning debut season.
However, the pair fell out and Conte informed Costa he was not part of his plans for the 2017/18 season, a decision that had been prompted in January the previous season when Costa attempted to engineer a highly-lucrative move to the Chinese Super League.
Costa was ultimately sold back to Atletico in the September but formally joined the Spanish side in January 2018. Conte soon followed the striker out of the Stamford Bridge exit, leaving the Blues at the end of his second season as an FA Cup winner.
Despite their fractured relationship, Costa has insisted he has no issues with Conte, but believes he needs to work on his personal touch.
"We [Conte and I] had problems off the pitch, but I think he is a really good manager," Costa told ESPN. "I have no hard feelings towards Conte.
"But to be a top, top manager, he needs to change the human side of his management. He is very suspicious. At a like, say, Real Madrid, he would never last a season."
Costa also used his interview with ESPN to discuss another manager, Brazil's World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, whom Costa claims overlooked him for the Brazil national team, leading to his decision to play for Spain.
"After the friendly against Russia, he said he would call me up again because I hadn't played many minutes," Costa, 31, said. "I think it was just to get in my head.
"I remember several forwards were injured but Scolari would not select me. I stayed quiet, but wasn't selected for the Confederations Cup. The possibility of Spain emerged and I accepted.
"How could I say no? Suddenly, they started saying Scolari wanted me. Well, he never called me once. How could it be that he wanted me? I then saw it written that I had ruined the dreams of millions of Brazilians.
"Why not say that he didn't look for me? Then it's simple."
