Eriksen a high-level player who is staying put: Inter assistant coach

MILAN:

Christian Eriksen earned the praise of Inter Milan assistant Cristian Stellini after the Dane helped his side to a 4-0 win over Benevento in Serie A on Saturday.

The midfielder has struggled to make an impact in Italy since joining Inter from Tottenham Hotspur last January, with British and Italian media reports linking Eriksen with a return to the Premier League in this transfer window.

However, after scoring a brilliant free kick having come off the bench to earn Inter a derby victory over AC Milan in the Coppa Italia in midweek, Eriksen impressed as he started just his fifth league game this season against Benevento.

The Denmark international's seventh-minute free kick had too much pace and swerve for defender Riccardo Improta who flicked the ball into his own net, and no player on the pitch created more chances than Eriksen. His display impressed Stellini, standing in for head coach Antonio Conte who was serving the first game of a two-match touchline ban.

"He is applying himself in training and now he is having his chances," Stellini told DAZN. "He uses his intelligence to make good performances. "Tonight he did very well. He is a resource on which we have worked hard and he himself has worked.

"We will hold on to him because he is a high-level footballer." Inter dominated the match at the San Siro, with Lautaro Martinez adding a second before a double from Romelu Lukaku kept Inter two points behind leaders Milan at the top of the table. "We create a lot of chances tonight but we don't always make the most of them," Stellini added. "Tonight we were good, and we hope that in the future we will find continuity."