Andrea Pinamonti discussed his future, how he hoped to play for Inter and his admiration of Mauro Icardi.

The 22-year-old Italian forward is having a good season out on loan at Empoli, netting 13 goals in 35 Serie A appearances, but he’ll be returning to Milan in the summer, re-joining Simone Inzaghi’s squad. It’s still unclear whether he’ll break into the first team, be sold or be sent out on loan again.

Speaking to SportWeek, Pinamonti first discussed his frustrations regarding the endless talk of his future.

“In football it’s like this: as soon as you have a moment of glory, everyone supports you and looks for you. In the same way, it takes nothing to go back into oblivion, the time of a few games that you don’t score. I’m used to it by now and I don’t even notice it anymore.

“I’m fully enjoying this moment of happiness, which has lasted since the start of the season, and believe me, I’m not thinking at all about what will be.

“I want to enjoy this period because I know that less positive days will come back, when, as I said before, the judgements towards me will change again.”

He discussed his role as a centre forward.

“I’ve always been a forward. I was born a striker and I’ll end up in the same role. As a child I was taller than people my age, so I played with the big boys.

“Contrary to what many people think, I’m a humble guy. A label like predestined doesn’t weigh on me, it only stimulates me.”

The 22-year-old Italian commented on his salary and how he doesn’t feel it’s particularly controversial.

“Even the €2m salary with Inter is a relative weight. If you want to get to the top, you have to bear all kinds of pressure.

“From the outside a salary like that, at my age, may seem an exaggeration, but it’s like many others in football. There’s no shortage of criticism and insults for that reason, but I’ve learned not to give it any weight.”

Pinamonti spoke about the desire he had to play for Inter before leaving on loan last summer.

“More than anything else I hoped for it. Those goals in the Primavera gave me self-esteem and responsibility. But you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of players who immediately blossom from the Primavera into the big leagues.

“I had to go through a normal growth process. Last year I wasn’t resigned to it, so much so that I was always disappointed when I didn’t get in, whether it was the first game of the season or the last. I spoke to Conte before the January transfer window, telling him I wanted to go and play.

“And he was sincere and said to me, more or less, ‘I’d prefer you to stay here. You’re not the first choice, but you train well and you don’t cause any problems. And then, if you stay, you can learn a lot more than if you leave’.”

Finally, Pinamonti revealed which players were his idols, including former Inter striker Icardi.

“I saw Ibra when I joined Inter. He is a mixture of technical and athletic characteristics that only he possesses to such a high degree. And then, the mentality…

“Icardi is completely different to how he is portrayed for his life off the pitch, he is a great guy who did everything for me when I started living alone in Milan. He’s my ideal centre forward, he moves like no one else in the box, he turns every half-ball that comes his way into a goal.

“Lukaku is a gentle giant. In Serie A his physical power made the difference, in the Premier League he struggles because there are so many others as big as him.”

The 22-year-old Pinamonti is contracted to Inter until 2024 and has an estimated market value of around €16m.

2 thought on “Pinamonti talks his future, his wages and admiration of Icardi”
  1. @ R. Bonora, I also think that would be a good solution. They’ve scored about the same amount of goals as well. He would be good as a 3rd choice striker, and would get plenty of games as the team rotates.

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