Empoli striker Andrea Pinamonti admits it will be ‘a special game’ against Inter on Wednesday night. ‘I have improved mentally thanks to Antonio Conte’.
The Nerazzurri loanee seems set to start when Empoli host Inter tonight and the 22-year-old has scored three times in eight Serie A games with the Azzurri this term.
He joined on a one-year loan deal this summer and his deal with Inter expires in June 2024, but tonight he faces Simone Inzaghi’s men in the League.
“I arrived at Empoli with a greater awareness than for the other loans,” Pinamonti told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I have improved mentally thanks to Conte and today I feel like a different player. Tonight, it will certainly be very exciting to face my former team, it will be a special game.”
Pinamonti said he learned a lot from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez during the last year at Pinetina.
“It is difficult to find space when you have the strongest attack in Serie A ahead of you, but I consider myself lucky,” he added.
“Lukaku and Lautaro, but also [Alexis] Sanchez, were the first to give me advice when I maybe made a mistake. They made their experience available.”
Inzaghi replaced Conte in the dugout at the Giuseppe Meazza and Pinamonti admitted the former Lazio coach ‘impressed’ him.
“He arrived with great enthusiasm and immediately established a great relationship with all the players,” the youngster continued.
“I wish him the best for this season. As a coach and as a person, he really impressed me.”
Pinamonti said Federico Dimarco’s ‘improvement’ works as an inspiration for him to follow the same path.
“He has made an exponential improvement in recent years, he has extraordinary qualities,” he said. “Leaving Inter was necessary to return as a protagonist.
“I hope that I can follow this path too.”
