Inter are increasingly feeling as though they have decisively moved on from the sale of Achraf Hakimi last summer thanks to the constantly growing form of Denzel Dumfries.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who note how the Dutchman has become a decisive player for the Nerazzurri down their right side just as Hakimi had been.

Hakimi had been a key player in last season’s Scudetto-winning campaign, and the Moroccan’s sale was always going to be tough for the team to move on from.

Dumfries was identified as having the right profile to take over from Hakimi on the right, and whilst it was not hard to see how his form for PSV and the Dutch national team marked him out as such he did not show it right away in an Inter shirt.

The Dutchman did not immediately cement a place for himself in the starting eleven and some of his performances either from the start or from the bench were inconsistent as he didn’t quite fit into the system early on.

As the season has worn on, however, Dumfries has grasped his role better and better and as he has done so he has surged in form.

With his opener against Roma in yesterday evening’s 3-1 win the 26-year-old has taken his tally for the season to five goals and four assists in Serie A, the kind of numbers that will keep the team from regretting the loss of Hakim too much.

Moreover, many of Dumfries’ goal contributions have come at important times for the team, and he offers more than just goals and assists up and down his flank.

If the first couple months of Dumfries’ time at Inter suggested that succeeding Hakimi would be a very hard task, the way he’s grown into the team match upon match have given the impression that it is one that he is up to.