Legendary former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga feels that the anticipated departure of defender Milan Skriniar reinforces to fans that no player is so important that they go beyond the shirt and the club.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInter1908, Zenga reflected on how in modern football, there no longer seems to be any one player who becomes a symbol of a club, and that only the shirt endures.
Skriniar had been expected by many to become a long-term stalwart at Inter.
The 27-year-old has shown loyalty to the past, and it is for this reason along with his consistently high standard of performances, that many fans believed that he would eventually inherit the captain’s armband.
Instead, Skriniar looks to have made the decision to leave the Nerazzurri.
The former Sampdoria defender is widely reported as having decided to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer rather than extending his contract with Inter.
Zenga contrasted the situation of Skriniar with that of Roma’s Nicolo Zanioli.
“One of them we’ve long suspected has an agreement with another club, the other has a year and a half left to run on his contract,” he noted of the two players at the centre of high-profile January transfer sagas.
“Certainly the players have a chance to decide on their own futures, but in this day and age there are no players who become symbols of teams or one-club men anymore,” he reflected.
“We just have to get used to it as commentators and fans,” he added.
Zenga also commented on Inter’s prospects in the Champions League round of sixteen against Porto, noting that “I’m always wary of draws that seem simple.”
“They seem like a boring and unflashy team, and we think, ‘thank heavens we’ve gotten them,'” he noted, “but they’re a tough team.”
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