Achraf Hakimi has thanked Antonio Conte for helping him become a much better player during his first season at Inter.
The Moroccan international joined in a €40 million deal from Real Madrid last summer and was a key figure in the Nerazzurri’s Serie A title triumph.
Conte persuaded Hakimi to sign for Inter with a WhatsApp conversation, a report revealed last night, and it seems both are very happy with the decision to work together.
“Conte is a very demanding coach who does a lot of tactical work,” Hakimi told Spanish radio station Onda Cero last night.
“He got me working on the defensive side of my game and I must thank him because I’ve improved a lot.”
Inter were confirmed as Serie A champions on Sunday with four games to spare and Hakimi is still on cloud nine after securing the scudetto.
“Inter began a great project with the objective of winning the Serie A title,” the 22-year-old said.
“I really am proud to have contributed to writing the history of this club.”
Hakimi also spoke on rumours linking him with a return to Real Madrid, before revealing an anecdote about Conte.
“Real Madrid had the chance to keep hold of me last summer, but it wasn’t possible for a few reasons,” he admitted.
“Conte told me that he was close to becoming their head coach once, but the talks fell through.”
Hakimi has scored seven goals and provided eight assists in all competitions for Inter this season, most recently finding the net at Crotone on Saturday.
