Antonio Conte could not hope for a better wing-back in his Inter side than Achraf Hakimi, according to one of the Moroccan’s former youth coaches.
Hakimi joined Inter in a €40 million deal from Real Madrid last summer and has become irreplaceable for the Nerazzurri, following an initial period of adaptation.
Bernard Simondi coached Hakimi in Morocco’s under-23s and offered a ringing endorsement of his former student earlier this week.
“Achraf is a player who has lots of physical qualities,” he told NerazzurriSiamoNoi.it in an interview on Thursday.
“He’s fast, he’s a consistent worker and he can complete both the attacking and defensive side of the game.
“Hakimi is perfect for Conte’s 3-5-2 system; the coach was aware of the player’s qualities and he signed him on purpose.
“He’s physically strong, when Hakimi is on the attack he becomes very dangerous with his pace and quality.
“Initially people in Italy were describing him as a full-back, but that’s not his position: he’s a complete player for the entire wing.
“Despite his young age, Hakimi is strong away from the pitch as well: he’s a guy with a good head on his shoulders.”
Hakimi has scored six goals and provided six assists in all competitions for Inter, who are six points clear of AC Milan at the top of Serie A (with a game in hand).
Before joining Inter he spent two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund (from Real Madrid), scoring against Conte’s side in a UEFA Champions League group stage win in November 2019.
Hakimi has 31 caps for Morocco’s senior side and has scored twice.