Marcus Thuram believes wearing the Inter shirt ‘is added pressure but good pressure’ and explained to Kylian Mbappe why he didn’t join Paris Saint-Germain.
The 26-year-old French striker signed for the Nerazzurri on a free transfer in the summer, penning a five-year deal, and he’s immediately hit the ground running following his move to Serie A.
Thuram has scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 20 matches across Serie A and the Champions League for Inter, forming a strong partnership with Lautaro Martinez. He has already won over his new fans and is proving himself to be one of the top forwards in the league.
Speaking to Canal+ via Calciomercato.com, Thuram first discussed how it feels to play for Inter and the assistance of his father Lillian.
“Yes, when I put on my shirt before the match, I know about the players who’ve played for this club and I know what the fans expect from us, which is added pressure but good pressure, my career has improved based on this.
“Thanks to my father I managed to transform that into a positive thing quickly, it’s a new stage, I’m here to grow and to play important matches. I think I arrived at a ‘mature’ age in this team.”
He spoke about why the Nerazzurri suits him so well.
“Before I happened to lack respect for the clubs I played for, but when you wear the Inter shirt there is a certain mentality here which is never giving up until the end, which suits my game very much.”
The 26-year-old touched on his relationship with Karim Benzema.
“Yes, Karim Benzema helped me a lot to settle into the national team, he is a person who spoke to me a lot when I made the move to number nine, and he is one of those people who explains very well what he does, and what he does on the pitch.
“He is very intelligent, he is an open book from whom I have been able to receive a lot of advice.”
Thuram commented on his desire to become a regular with the France national team.
“Yes, it’s the next step, I had good performances in the team, in the Champions League and I would like to repeat them in the national team.
“We have many good players, both in the national team and also other players who don’t play in the national team, we are lucky to be French.”
He reflected on his adaptions to Simone Inzaghi’s system at Inter.
“In the national team, this is where I have always played, at Inter I had to adapt, there are many things I still have to learn such as the connection with my strike partner.
“Behind Lautaro, we work well together, he is a player fantastic with incredible finishing, it’s not too complicated to play with him.”
Finally, Thuram responded to Mbappe’s question of why he didn’t join PSG in the summer.
“You know very well why I didn’t go to Paris. I never asked for guarantees to go, it’s a question of feeling, Inter interested me for two years, they’ve always seen me as a number nine, it was a clear choice.”