Italy captain and Juventus centre back Leonardo Bonucci discussed Inter defender Stefan de Vrij when speaking to gathered reporters at a press conference earlier today, ahead of the Azzurri’s Nations League clash against the Netherlands tomorrow. His words were noted by Turin based newspaper Tuttosport.

“I think we are all lucky to see two of the strongest defenders in the world, Chiellini and Van Dijk, playing each other. Among the top five for sure. They interpret the role perfectly. Giorgio has been one of the strongest for 10 years. On defensive tactics we have evolved, we play man for man.”

The 33-year-old Italian then discussed two other Netherlands defenders, Juventus’ Matthijs De Ligt and Inter’s Stefan de Vrij.

“The Netherlands have shown that they know how to grow great defenders. The luck of Matthijs is the possibility to compete internationally and training every day with great players at Juventus. We will miss him, we hope his shoulder will heal soon. De Vrij has shown great consistency throughout the year, with Conte he has made a leap in quality.”

The 28-year-old De Vrij, who is contracted to the Nerazzurri until 2023, was a core part of coach Antonio Conte’s squad in Milan this season, only missing eight games all season. The Dutchman made 46 appearances across all competitions, for a total of 3906 minutes. In that time, he scored four goals, provided five assists and helped the side keep 14 clean sheets. De Vrij was forced to pull out of international duty with the Netherlands due to a slight ankle sprain, although he is expected to be a part of squad training next week.