Alessandro Bastoni says he's ‘proud to represent’ Inter in the Europa League, vowed to ‘push to get as far as possible’ and added that he will support his former club Atalanta in the Champions League tomorrow.
Bastoni moved to Inter in August 2017 but was immediately loaned back to Atalanta and spent last season at Parma before breaking through at Inter this season.
He has claimed the move to Parma helped his experience and expressed his delight for Atalanta’s run to the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
Alessandro Bastoni says he's ‘proud to represent’ Inter in the Europa League, vowed to ‘push to get as far as possible’ and added that he will support his former club Atalanta in the Champions League tomorrow.
Bastoni moved to Inter in August 2017 but was immediately loaned back to Atalanta and spent last season at Parma before breaking through at Inter this season.
He has claimed the move to Parma helped his experience and expressed his delight for Atalanta’s run to the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
“Tomorrow, I will cheer for Atalanta, I’m very attached to them and I thank the club and [Coach Gian Piero] Gasperini for giving me the chance,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“The move to Parma was decisive: I found continuity and I was able to play among the greats, growing a lot.
“The thing that I have never lacked is personality, the fact of not being afraid to play and get onto the pitch. This keeps me calm.”
The 21-year-old has played 31 games for Inter so far and said Antonio Conte has given him the confidence to perform at the top level.
“What Conte gave me most of all, is confidence,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “He asks for personality and courage to play the game. Not to be afraid of playing the game.
“I think that’s the best thing. I just go out on the pitch to do my best.”
But Bastoni has been learning by sharing dressing room with experienced defenders like Diego Godin, who yesterday explained how he had worked hard to convince the coach at San Siro this year.
“Yesterday’s words from Godin show what a great person he is,” Bastoni said. “As he said, he was able to wait for his moment while respecting the coach and the team.
“This is a symptom of great professionalism. I feel lucky to have him, but also the others like Borja [Valero], [Danilo] D’Ambrosio, people who inspire me.”
After having surpassed Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals of the Europa League last night, Bastoni vows to help Inter go all the way.
“It was a great satisfaction, it’s never easy to get to a European semi-final, especially for me who has just started, it’s very good.
“I have always said that I have made great strides personally, because I never expected to play for Inter and reach this point of the season, hitting targets that I have been missing for a long time.
“I’m proud to represent Inter in these competitions, but it’s thanks to the team that these results are achieved.
“We aim to get as far as possible at this point in the competition. We must go and do what we have always done, press high and play our game, put our heads down and concentrate on doing that.”