Milan Skriniar wouldn’t turn down a move abroad, even though he is ‘not thinking about leaving Inter,’ while explaining the differences between coaches Antonio Conte and Simone Inzaghi. ‘He hammers his players constantly.’
The defender has repeatedly been linked with a move away from San Siro, as his contract is due to expire in June 2023.
While Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona are mentioned, the Premier League is very eager to get him, with Tottenham Hotspur – now managed by former Inter coach Conte – Manchester United and Liverpool interested.
“A new experience abroad is never a bad thing, but having said that, I am very happy at Inter and living in Milan,” the Slovakia international told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
“I am not thinking about leaving, I’m happy here. You never know what might happen, though. We haven’t yet talked about a renewal, as my contract runs to 2023.
“I knew that I was coming to an historic club, even if it was one that at the time was struggling. It was difficult to go from a four-man defence to three, as I’d never done that before and it was a struggle.
“Conte sat me down and explained the movements to me, using videos as well. He really does hammer his players constantly, drilling this winning mentality into them. We end up absorbing it even if trying to resist!”
New Inter coach Simone Inzaghi has a very different approach to man-management and created a far more relaxed atmosphere at the Appiano Gentile training ground.
“Inzaghi is like a teammate. He understands us, talks to us, laughs and jokes. We did joke with Conte, but mainly after we’d already won the Scudetto.
“Now we feel freer and you can see that on the pitch, too. I am a centre-back, but sometimes I end up going on the attack.”
The prospects had not been good over the summer, because Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi left, while Christian Eriksen was ruled out by cardiac issues, effectively removing three of the key figures behind Conte’s Scudetto success.
While Inzaghi and the directors insisted Lukaku’s push for a transfer to Chelsea was a complete surprise, it seems the Belgium international wasn’t quite so shy about his intentions in the locker room.
“Hakimi never even started pre-season training with us. Lukaku would tell us that if he had the opportunity, then he would leave,” explained Skriniar.
“I was at the Euros and watching the Denmark game on television when Eriksen collapsed. The commentator was speaking in Russian, I didn’t know what was going on, I just saw a player was down on the ground. Fortunately, Inter sent me a message afterwards assuring me that he was alright.
“This is a wonderful profession, we are paid very well, but we only get one life. I reflected on it, but I don’t want to think that something similar could happen to me.”
#Skriniar: ‘Ecco le differenza tra #Conte a #Inzaghi. All’Inter sto bene, ma un’esperienza all’estero…’ https://t.co/ZYN0oTveLw pic.twitter.com/I3zACcJ7Jc
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) December 24, 2021
Skriniar is next captain material, more than Barella at the moment.
Even as a Milan fan I cannot help but like Skriniar. Great player, model professional.