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A brilliant Xl of former Premier League players currently playing in Serie A

Planet Football •

Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan have developed a strange fascination with signing former Premier League names, and Serie A as a whole has regularly raided England in recent years.

Former Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool players have decided to head to Italy over the past 11 years.

In fact, there have been so many that we’ve been able to put a full XI together, with every player in his proper position.

GK: Wojciech Szczesny

You wouldn’t have found too many Arsenal fans that were disappointed when Szczesny was sold to Juventus.

The goalkeeper had fallen behind Petr Cech in the pecking order at Arsenal so spent two seasons on loan at Roma before his permanent move to Turin in 2017.

Szczesny eventually replaced Gianluigi Buffon to become the undisputed No.1 at Juventus, and he certainly isn’t lacking in confidence.

“Recently I said that when I was back-up at Roma, it was to the best goalkeeper in the world, Alisson, who’s now at Liverpool,” Szczesny told Przeglad Sportowy.

“Now at Juve my substitute is one of the greatest players in history. The conclusions are that I’m probably the best in the world and in history.”

RB: Danilo

The defender failed to establish himself as a regular at Manchester City and was used as a makeweight in the deal that brought Joao Cancelo to the club in 2019.

Danilo is yet to make a huge impact at Juventus, but the 28-year-old still prefers living in Italy to England.

“It’s somewhat different. I come from England, and the weather is colder there, so are the people. In all senses,” Danilo told Globo Esporte.

“In Turin the people are warmer, the fans are closer, always asking for autographs and photos on the street.”

CB: Chris Smalling

Smalling has won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup and the Europa League since joining Manchester United in 2010.

However, he found himself at a crossroads at United after the arrival of Harry Maguire in the summer and opted to join Roma on a season-long loan.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed a huge renaissance In Italy, becoming one of the best and most consistent defenders in Serie A this season.

How United could do with him right now.

READ: ‘An absolute totem of the defence’ – 11 quotes on Chris Smalling at Roma

CB: Ragnar Klavan

Klavan signed for Liverpool in 2016, making 53 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side as a reliable back-up.

The Estonian was eventually replaced by Virgil van Dijk, joining Cagliari in 2018. We think they probably made the right decision there.

Klavan quickly became a fixture in Cagliari’s backline and was recently linked with a shock move back to England with Everton.

LB: Ashley Young

Young was deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United after the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and emergence of Brandon Williams.

The 34-year-old completed a surprise move to Inter Milan earlier this month but got an assist on his debut.

RW: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The Armenian had thrived for Borussia Dortmund but struggled to replicate that form in England for either Manchester United or Arsenal.

After a disappointing spell in north London, Mkhitaryan joined Roma on a season-long loan deal in search of first-team football.

Despite struggling with injuries, the midfielder has scored three goals in nine Serie A appearances so far this season.

CM: Aaron Ramsey

The midfielder spent 11 years at Arsenal and became a fan favourite after playing a key role in their three FA Cup wins.

Ramsey decided to take on a new challenge in the summer by joining Juventus on a free, earning a reported £400,000-a-week in wages too, which won’t have harmed.

He scored on his Serie A debut, but injuries have limited the Welshman to 11 league appearances and he is yet to play an entire 90 minutes for Juventus.

CM: Christian Eriksen

Despite a recent dip in form, Eriksen has been a revelation at Tottenham and will go down as one of their best players of the Premier League era.

The 27-year-old had just six months remaining on his Spurs contract and has now become the latest Premier League player to join Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan.

“I couldn’t wait to get there, being here is beautiful and I’m happy to be a new Inter player,” Eriksen told InterTV.

‘I am very excited and I can’t wait to get to know the fans, I have already had the opportunity to feel their warmth, it was a fantastic welcome. I feel great.”

LW: Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez had a disastrous time at Manchester United, scoring five times in 45 appearances for the Red Devils before joining Inter Milan on loan.

The 31-year-old has played just 79 minutes in Serie A this season due to injuries and suspension, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is backing him to return to Old Trafford and prove everyone wrong.

ST: Romelu Lukaku

After Lukaku fell out of favour at Manchester United under Solskjaer, Inter broke their transfer-record to sign the forward in a £74million deal last summer.

The move has given the Belgian a new lease of life, scoring 14 goals in 21 league appearances while spearheading Inter’s pursuit of the Serie A title.

“I made my decision (to leave) around March, and I went to the manager’s office and told him it was time for me to find something else,” Lukaku told Sky Sports.

“I wasn’t performing and I wasn’t playing. I think it was better for both sides to go separate ways. I think I made the right decision.”

ST: Cristiano Ronaldo 

After leaving Manchester United in 2009, Ronaldo enjoyed an illustrious nine years at Real Madrid before signing for Juventus in 2018.

He has since scored 48 goals in 69 appearances for the Italian giants, winning the Serie A title last season.

The forward may be 34 years old, but he is still one of the best players in the world and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Notable absentees: David Ospina, Victor Moses, Matteo Darmian, Eden Dzeko, Fernando Llorente

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