Dumfries: I’ve ‘never rewatched’ Inter’s UCL final against Manchester City

Denzel Dumfries admitted he could never ‘rewatch’ Inter’s Champions League final against Manchester City as accepting defeat ‘wasn’t easy’ and left the Nerazzurri eager to get ‘another chance’ to play it.

The Netherlands international recently committed his future to the club he joined back in 2021 when he revealed he did not ‘feel the pressure’ of replacing Achraf Hakimi, who was among the heroes of Antonio Conte’s title-winning side before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.

The right-back praised his coach Simone Inzaghi for helping him become a ‘more solid’ player and increasing his ‘confidence’, albeit revealing his first day at the Inter training ground ‘wasn’t the best’.

Dumfries ‘never rewatched’ Champions League final vs Manchester City

“Achraf is incredibly strong, but I didn’t feel the pressure,” Dumfries explained to Repubblica in an interview.

“I believe in myself, and Inzaghi gave me confidence. He helped me become more solid and understand Italian football better.

“I can’t say he’s a friend because he’s my coach, but he’s an exceptional person, and we have a great relationship. Even though my first day at Pinetina wasn’t the best.

“I thought I’d just take a couple of photos and shake hands, but instead, they put me straight on the field. I opened the bag I had in the car and found two left shoes inside. I had to borrow the right one.”

The 28-year-old claimed he agreed with a recent Bastoni interview in which the defender stated he’d rather play another Champions League final than win a second Scudetto in a row, conceding their loss against Manchester City in June 2023 is still an open wound.

“Basto is always right,” Dumfries continued.

“The league is very important, but losing the final in Istanbul in 2023 wasn’t easy. I’ve never been able to rewatch the match. We want another chance and are doing everything we can to earn it.”

Commenting on the difference between their inability to score as many goals in the Champions League as they do in Serie A the right-wing said: “We’ve talked about it, but there’s no simple explanation. In the cup, we need to keep our fighting spirit while starting to score more goals. But for now, we’re focused on Lazio, they’re very strong.”

Dumfries has two goals and one assist from 11 Serie A matches this term.