Stones towards his first start, the statistic on the three goals conceded

He arrived almost quietly during the summer transfer window, but John Stones is ready to make his mark tonight. The English defender is set to make his debut as a starter with the Inter shirt in the match against Udinese. According to Tuttosport, Chivu intends to field him from the first minute alongside Akanji, his former teammate from the Manchester City days.

So far, the thirty-two-year-old has collected only 82 minutes in the Nerazzurri shirt: 15 against Monza, 22 against Cagliari, and 45 against Real Madrid. An interesting fact emerges from these three appearances: Stones came on precisely in the three matches in which Inter conceded goals, managing with his experience to limit some of the defensive lapses. For this reason, the Nerazzurri coach is relying on him to close the gate in front of Pepo Martinez.

The English defender was signed when the entourage of the former City player lowered their financial demands. At that point, the club wasted no time, replacing two veterans with another highly experienced player and bringing back Pavard.

Chivu knows well that he cannot ask Stones for fifty appearances in a season. The player’s body, coming off two seasons marked by various muscle problems, will need to be managed carefully. However, if the Englishman manages to guarantee twenty-five matches at his level, Inter will have obtained exactly what they were looking for, considering that the last Acerbi made 26 appearances.