Inter manager Antonio Conte has praised Stefano Sensi after he came on and helped Inter to a narrow 1-0 win at home to Napoli.

The injury prone midfielder came on as a substitute during the second half and participated in the build-up that led to Inter being handed a penalty, which was slotted away by Romelu Lukaku.

“Stefano is trying to find the best condition. He is increasing the intensity in training, day after day. He is returning to being a fully-fledged player,” he explained to the media in his post-match press conference at San Siro following the full time whistle.

“We must continue like this, hoping that he will be luckier and that nothing will happen again. We are talking about a player that in a year and a half has played very little at Inter but has always played very well.

“He has always done us well, but often I have not been able to have him available. Getting him back would be essential, fingers crossed with him.

“I hope that there can be peace of mind for him first of all, but also for me, it would mean having one more arrow available than last season and at the beginning of the current one.”

He was then asked if it is difficult to change things during a match given the lack of alternatives available at the moment due to there being several injuries.

“It is inevitable that, when Sanchez is out, often missed in a year and a half with Inter or if someone gets injured, problems arise.

“Even Pinamonti did not fully recover from the ankle problem he picked up with the U21’s. He is a young and promising player, like Esposito before him.”

In conclusion the former Italian national team manager, who has been in charge of Inter for the past 18 months, was asked if he was satisfied with the way his side managed things at the end of the game that certainly did not live up to its pre-match billing.

“It was certainly a very tactical match. Napoli are very strong, it was the detail that made the difference. When we took the lead it was important to finish the game by winning.

“However, we suffered, especially in the last few minutes. It can happen against an antagonist like Napoli who has the ambition to be a protagonist in Serie A. It’s okay, we are happy with the victory.”