Robin Gosens recalled his happiness at joining Inter, the seriousness of his recent injury and his relationship with coaches Simone Inzaghi and Gian Piero Gasperini.
The 28-year-old German full back joined the Nerazzurri in the January transfer window from Atalanta in a deal worth around €27.4m. Gosens has failed to impress since his arrival, struggling to show his abilities following a recent hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for over six months.
Speaking in an interview with DAZN, Gosens first discussed how it felt to receive the call from Inter in January.
“Huge happiness, I arrived in one of the strongest teams in the world. I was surprised too, the call came at the worst time, when I was on the sidelines due to injury. But I have to say that for three years I have worked very well.”
He commented on what he still needs to do to return to his best.
“It’s a difficult question, I’m also reflecting a lot because I want to understand how my body works and why it doesn’t work the way I want it to.
“It was a very serious injury, maybe I underestimated the impact on my body. I didn’t play for a year practically and without matches you can’t have the rhythm and confidence you need.
“I’m coming along, I feel better and better and the last step is to play with consistency.”
He touched on his relationship with Inter coach Inzaghi.
“He is a very empathetic person, he talks a lot with the players because he wants to understand things on the pitch but also to know how we are off the pitch.
“He still feels like a footballer and understands his players very well, this is important, even when I have problems I can go to his office to talk to him and this is a great quality.”
The German full back reflected on the previous interest he received during his time at Atalanta.
“I did well at Atalanta, so sooner or later interested teams arrived. I always had in mind either going to Germany or staying in Italy, because my family has always done well here. For me Inter were the right call at the right time.”
Gosens picked an interesting choice for his childhood idol, a player only two years older.
“David Alaba, from Bayern Munich. He always impressed me, he played all the roles at the highest level.”
He reflected on his relationship with Atalanta coach Gasperini.
“He made me grow in a crazy way, he taught me things I didn’t know I was capable of. He made hours and hours of videos to make me understand when to go and when to stay put.
“I can only thank him for these four years, without him I would never have had the chance to go to a club like Inter.”
The German feels that the worst is behind Inter this season.
“The worst has already passed, we came out of it well and Inter must have the ambition to go as high as possible.
“We have reached the Round of 16, in the league there is still a bit of a gap in terms of points but the season is long and no one knows how to finish. All we can say is that we are ready for whatever comes.”
He commented on the importance of his goal against Barcelona.
“Hopefully. On a personal level it was a very emotional moment, not many players get the chance to play at Camp Nou and score an important goal.
“It will be a memory I will always carry with me, but I hope it will have an impact on my future at Inter. I’m here to help the team, I hope to have other opportunities where I can repeat myself.”
Finally, Gosens remembered the most decisive moment of his career.
“Definitely the game when I played with my friends and the Vitesse scout saw me. I was half drunk and I played the game that took me to the Netherlands.”