Inter Milan wingback Denzel Dumfries excelled for the Netherlands during the final international break of 2024.
Meanwhile, Corriere dello Sport offers the reason behind his irregular first-team football at Giuseppe Meazza via FCInterNews.
While he hasn’t always been a starter at Inter since joining the club in 2021, he’s been omnipresent for the Dutch national team.
Head coach Ronald Koeman holds the 28-year-old in high esteem, as most recently evidenced by the Oranje’s game against Hungary.
Dumfries was in the starting line-up. Koeman’s team thrashed the Magyars 4-0 to lock down a quarter-final berth in the UEFA Nations League.
But he was more than a bystander. In fact, he orchestrated the Netherlands’ landslide victory.
Indeed, he netted a goal to make it 3-0 for his side before setting up Teun Koopmeiners for the fourth down the final stretch.
It was another brilliant international performance for Dumfries.
However, his Inter career hasn’t been as smooth.
Why Inter Milan Manager Simone Inzaghi Doesn’t Always Start Denzel Dumfries
Despite already amassing 14 appearances between the UEFA Champions League and Serie A, Dumfries hasn’t been a first-team regular.
Indeed, he has only been part of Simone Inzaghi’s starting XI four times in Italy’s top flight.
Matteo Darmian has often been Inzaghi’s first choice on the right flank.
However, that has nothing to do with Dumfries’ quality.
For the sake of argument, he’s six years younger than the Italian defender and seems in far better physical shape.
But there’s a catch.
Dumfries has frequently struggled with inconsistent performances.
His bursting runs down the flank and aerial prowess often make him a nuisance for opponents.
Yet, he hasn’t always been dependable at the back, proving prone to rookie mistakes and lapses of concentration.
Therefore, Inzaghi has had to bench him more often than not.
Nonetheless, Dumfries is on the verge of renewing his contract at Inter.
His salary will reportedly increase from €2.5 million to €4m net per season, plus add-ons.