Inter coach Simone Inzaghi insisted that he had always been confident that striker Romelu Lukaku would rediscover his scoring touch, after he netted in tonight’s win over Udinese.
The Nerazzurri secured victory at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza thanks to a first half penalty from Lukaku, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lautaro Martinez netted after the break to wrap up the three points in Serie A.
In an interview with Italian television broadcaster Sky Sport Italia after the final whistle, and as reported by FCInterNews.it, Inzaghi insisted that he still had faith in loanee Lukaku, despite the goal being his first in the league since the opening day of the season.
“In my opinion he (Lukaku) is improving game by game and with every training session. We have great faith in him, he’s putting in all the effort he can,” the former Lazio coach claimed.
“I find it hard to give numbers for ratings, if he is playing so many games as a starter it is because he is in very good condition. But he can still grow and the matches will make him find his best condition.
“We need everyone, those who came in did a great job. For the commitment they put in they should all play, but the coach has to choose. Today I chose with great calmness.”
The match against the Zebrette also saw goalkeeper Samir Handanovic afforded a rare appearance, with the Slovenian selected ahead of Andre Onana against his former club. Having not played since October, Inzaghi was pleased to be able to rely on the 38-year-old as a backup.
“He had some little problems after the Malta training camp in December and I didn’t have him available.
“He’s doing very well, he’s an important goalkeeper and we need him a lot, also to give Onana, who was coming off a long series of games, a breather. I’m happy for Samir, but we had no doubts.”
Inter face Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday and Inzaghi has multiple options to choose from, particularly after strong performances from Lukaku, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Lautaro Martinez.
“The important thing for me is to have these choices. We had a very difficult first four months, the boys did well. We did important things.
“Experience then tells me to wait, the days after a game are the most important. We’ll see how they are, I always have to make the best choices for the good of Inter,” Inzaghi continued.
Despite netting the final goal, Martinez cut a frustrated figure at the end of the game after missing a glorious chance earlier in the match, and Inzaghi was pleased with the Argentine’s attitude.
“Very true, he could have scored even earlier. He always puts everything into it, he is a leader and he must always work as he is doing.”
Inter came up against an Udinese side that are enjoying a strong season in Serie A and Inzaghi insisted that he knew that his team would face a difficult evening.
“Yes, we knew the difficulties. Udinese are physical, technical, they put you in great difficulty; in our first meeting we paid the price.
“The team had a very good first half with the drawback of the goal conceded with the ball going out, we had to be more focused on protecting because the ball was not in. But I’m satisfied, it’s an important victory that keeps us going.”
Following the visit of Porto, Inter then travel to Bologna on Sunday in Serie A.
