Despite having been an unfancied part of Inter’s squad virtually since his arrival, wingback Matteo Darmian has established himself as an absolutely vital component in the team who still has a role to play for the foreseeable future.
This is highlighted in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note how the 33-year-old has left the club without any doubts as they have shown their faith in him with a new contract.
When Darmian arrived at Inter from Parma in the summer of 2020, few saw him as an ambitious piece of business by the Nerazzurri or a player who would particularly improve the starting eleven.
However, the former Manchester United and Torino man more than had his say in the Serie A title race that season, with coach Antonio Conte valuing Darmian for his ability to play equally proficiently on the right and left.
Darmian scored decisive goals in matches against Hellas Verona and Cagliari as the Nerazzurri managed to win the Scudetto in his first season at the club.
Last season, Darmian continued to be a regular in the starting eleven under Simone Inzaghi, always able to do the job required of him on both sides of the ball in the period before Denzel Dumfries found his feet in Milan.
This term, if there were any speculation that Darmian might finally start to be phased out at Inter, he has certainly proven this notion wrong.
The 33-year-old has continued to be a key player on the right during periods when Dumfries has been lacking in fitness and form, and has even made the case that he is the undisputed first-choice option at right-wingback ahead of the Dutchman.
Moreover, Darmian’s versatility has been useful to Simone Inzaghi in a different but equally important way to how it had been to Conte – the coach has increasingly been willing to test the 33-year-old on the right side of the back three.
After experiments in preseason showed that Darmian was more than capable of playing in defense, Inzaghi has had to call upon him with Milan Skriniar missing the past couple matches, for reasons of both suspension and transfer market drama.
If the absence of Skriniar and uncertainty around the Slovakian’s future had been enough to threaten to spill over onto the pitch and undermine the team’s unity and consistency in defense, Darmian has made sure that this did not happen.
The 33-year-old’s displays at centre-back have been nothing short of outstanding against Cremonese and in the Coppa Italia against Atalanta, where Darmian’s goal sent Inter into the semifinals of the competition.
Amid this backdrop, then, it is hardly a surprise that Inter have been keen to get a contract extension wrapped up with Darmian without haste, and that they see him as a player who still has more to say in a Nerazzurri shirt.
