Achraf Hakimi: Inter Milan is 'perfect fit' for Morocco full-back

Morocco's Achraf Hakimi has already impressed at Inter Milan after just two games

Morocco full-back Achraf Hakimi is already making an impact in Italy's Serie A with his new club Inter Milan.

The 21-year-old scored and provided an assist on Wednesday as Inter thrashed hosts Benevento 5-2 in what was only his second game in Serie A.

He began his career in Italy by coming on as a substitute to help Inter beat Fiorentina 4-3 on Saturday by providing the assist for Romelu Lukaku's 87th-minute equaliser.

Inter are the Spain-born youngster's third high-profile club, having started at Spanish giants Real Madrid and then spending two seasons on loan in Germany with Borussia Dortmund.

After his feats for Dortmund, Inter paid Real almost $47 million (£36m, 40m euros) for the Morocco international.

He will now have a chance to show Real what they are missing after the two clubs were drawn in the same Champions League group.

At international level, he has already played at a World Cup and an Africa Cup of Nations.

But what makes him so special at such a young age? BBC Sport Africa got the views of three people who know him well from his spells in Spain, Germany and now Italy.

What Inter need

"He's definitely Inter's main transfer, a perfect fit," InterFanTV director and TV pundit Michele Borrelli told BBC Sport Africa.

"He's been welcomed with enthusiasm by everyone involved. Fans are happy, the club bought a young but mature player who can be a big asset for the future.

"The coach has also filled one of last season's gaps, that is weakness on the flanks.

"[Antonio] Conte has brought in 12 new players since his establishment, and seven of those were wingers or full-backs… Inter needed a really strong player there, maybe an expensive one, but one who wouldn't fail.

"His first 25 minutes against Fiorentina were more than promising. He's perfect for Conte, and Conte is the perfect manager for him."

Inter have a clear goal this season, not that Conte and his team will admit it, and that is to end the dominance of Juventus.

Hakimi caught Inter Milan's eye after he helped Borussia Dortmund beat them in the Champions League last season

The Turin club have won nine league titles since Inter were last champions in 2010.

Last season was a turbulent, yet relatively successful, one at Inter as Conte and the club almost parted company.

They were runners-up in Serie A, a point behind Juventus, they reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and lost to Sevilla in the Europa League final

In order to win some silverware, Inter's Chinese owners have made some important investments, in spite of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The Nerazzurri have improved their already competitive squad with the return of Ivan Perisic and Radja Nainggolan from loan moves, as well as the additions of Aleksandr Kolarov, Arturo Vidal and Hakimi.

Hakimi is used to winning medals and his cabinet includes ones from the Champions League and Club World Cup during his time at Real Madrid and a German Super Cup with Borussia Dortmund.

The view from Madrid and Dortmund

One key person in Hakimi's development has been ex-Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red, a European champion with Spain in 2008, who was his youth coach for two years at Los Merengues.

"He used to play as a striker before he came to my team. In his first year with us we tried him out as a winger; he was extremely fast," De la Red explained.

"I spoke a lot to him and in his second year we moved him to his present position, where he can take advantage of his incredible physical qualities and express his full potential."

After going through Real's youth ranks, he made his first-team debut in 2017-18 with Zinedine Zidane in the dugout.

Despite his speed and aggression in going forward, he struggled initially to convince Real of his defensive qualities.

"This is exactly why he was loaned to Borussia Dortmund for two years," DAZN Germany commentator Jan Platte told BBC Sport Africa.

"His first season at BVB was hard, the whole team was not quite stable and manager Lucien Favre was having to try a lot of different solutions.

"In the second year, with Mats Hummels' arrival and the switch to a three-man defence, Borussia became much more solid and Hakimi took advantage of it."

Hakimi (bottom row, second right) celebrated winning the 2018 Champions League with Real Madrid despite not playing in the final

De la Red agrees that the loan to Dortmund was ideal for Haki

"Germany is a perfect place for young players, they work with discipline and seriousness and they receive the necessary confidence and minutes on the pitch," he said.

"Achraf is always developed, year after year and club after club. We'll see what he does in Milan.

"With Conte's system, with two full-backs who run up and down the whole pitch, he seems like a perfect fit. He can get up the pitch and cause a lot of trouble."

Hakimi caught Conte's eye last November when his Inter team were seemingly in control of their Champions League group game in Germany at 2-0, only for the Moroccan to turn things upside down.

Inter found themselves on the receiving end of Hakimi's incredible acceleration as he scored a brilliant brace and led the Germans to an unexpected 3-2 win.

"It's not delusional to think he can become a legendary player like Maicon," Borrelli said.

"His role is pivotal in Conte's game. He drops the ball to the midfielder and runs into the penalty area, just like he did to provide the assist for the equaliser against Fiorentina [in his first Serie A match for Inter].

"This is exactly what the manager wants. With a game plan that suits him and his potential, where is the limit for him?"