‘He is surprising me’ – Chivu impressed with Esposito development

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu revealed that he has been surprised by the quality of striker Francesco Pio Esposito.

The 20-year-old forward scored Inter’s second goal in their 2-0 win against Cagliari, after Lautaro Martinez’s opener in the ninth minute.

Esposito’s goal saw him become the fourth-youngest Italian player to score for Inter in Serie A since 2000 (20 years, 91 days), after his brother Sebastiano (17 years, 172 days), Mario Balotelli (17 years, 238 days), and Davide Faraoni (20 years, 74 days).

After the youngster also scored in their Club World Cup win against River Plate in the summer, Chivu hopes he can continue to find the net this season.

“We must not forget he is only 20 years old, he has his whole future ahead of him, he just has to keep working the way he is now,” Chivu told Sky Sports Italia.

“He’s got great quality, but also real margin for improvement, so he’s got to keep his feet on the ground.

“I admit, he is surprising me with how well he’s doing, as he plays for the team and knows how to do certain things, is not afraid of anything, keeps a cool head in front of goal, and I’m glad he managed to get his first goal. Maybe this can help him relax even more.”

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