Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram has benefited from extra playing time due to the surprise summer departure of Romelu Lukaku.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
When Thuram joined Inter during the summer, it still seemed as though the Nerazzurri would be signing Lukaku on a permanent basis from Chelsea.
At that point, there had yet to be a falling out between Inter and the Belgian striker.
Therefore, Inter’s intention appeared to be to have all of Thuram, Lukaku, and captain Lautaro Martinez as attacking options.
Clearly if all three had been at the club, there would have been a lot of competition for starting places in attack.
Marcus Thuram Thriving Without Romelu Lukaku For Competition
Obviously the fact that an established starter like Lukaku left meant that the pressure on Thuram’s shoulders was all the greater.
The 26-year-old has basically had to come straight in to the starting eleven without the team having a drop-off in attack.
But this hasn’t been a problem for Thuram.
On the contrary, one of the most impressive aspects to the Frenchman’s start to the season has been how seamless his transition has been.
Thuram has left few doubts as to his suitability for Inter’s starting eleven.
If Lukaku had stuck around, however, it is hard to see Thuram getting as much playing time as he has.
Instead, Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi would most likely have continued to rely on Martinez and Lukaku as the main starters.
Then, the coach would have slowly introduced Thuram into the competition for starting places.
Without the chance to start fast and build momentum, the Frenchman would have lacked the chance to really hit the ground running.
Therefore, Thuram will hardly be complaining about the fact that he doesn’t have Lukaku for a teammate.
