Cristian Chivu has made it clear that he still wants another winger or wing-back before the end of the summer transfer window, but says that he is pleased with what he saw from the Inter squad after defeating Manchester City in a pre-season friendly earlier this weekend.
Chivu reflects on Inter transfers and Man City victory
The Nerazzurri stopped off in Hong Kong on their way over to Australia while on their summer tour, defeating Manchester City on penalties after a 1-1 draw following goals from Divin Mubama and Benjamin Pavard.
Talking to the media after full-time in South East Asia, Chivu said that the most important thing was that his players came through their test injury free, but admitted that he is still at least one new player in the wide areas.
“If you do the counting, you get the same results as us,” Chivu told reporters after full-time against Man City (via La Gazzetta dello Sport).
“It depends on how you look at it. Maybe we’re missing one on the left. We have three wingers at the moment, or rather three and a half because Carlos (Augusto) can play there as well. And depending on how we look at Luis Henrique, who can play on the right or left, we’re still missing one. There’s still a long way to go in the window, we need to be patient and choose well.”
When asked about the game against City itself, Chivu replied: “I’m happy that nobody got hurt, that’s the most important thing in friendlies. We arrived two days ago, we did a light training session outside yesterday, but the boys brought out the pride of great champions.
“They had an excellent first half with the way they read the game despite not being in their best condition.”
And what does Chivu want to see from his players from the remainder of the pre-season tour?
“We want to train well and grow even further. The games are the best way of training. We have to try and stay healthy and avoid any injuries. That’s the main goal in August with all these long journeys.”
And a word on the youngsters that took part in the Man City test?
“They can and must do even better, like everyone else. They’re starting to get that first taste of top-level football, but they always have to think that there’s room for improvement. You always have to start from there, with the right attitude.
“You also need a little bit of patience because you can still see the lack of experience at certain points. They’re doing a great job and are contributing well.”
