Inter Milan's "Curtis Jones era" underway as Italian media lavish praise on ex-Liverpool midfielder

An early contender for Serie A game of the season emerged on Saturday evening, when champions Inter Milan dramatically came from 2-0 down to overcome Napoli 3-2 at San Siro.

Cristian Chivu's charges conceded two quickfire goals to Matteo Politano and Rasmus Hojlund shortly after half time, although Lautaro Martinez cut the deficit in half to give the holders hope.

Napoli entered the final 10 minutes of normal time still clinging on to their narrow advantage, but Marcus Thuram levelled matters in the 82nd minute, before Martinez snatched victory for the Nerazzurri in injury time.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones played a role in Inter's second-half turnaround, coming on at half time for Petar Sucic and completing 89% of his passes, while also creating one chance.

The Englishman also won five of his nine duels, made four recoveries and registered three defensive contributions at San Siro, earning a moderate level of praise from Italian media in the process.

What have the Italian media said about Curtis Jones?

Jones was given a 6/10 rating from Corriere Della Sara, who highlighted "the right cross at the right time", as it was his delivery into the box which sparked penalty-box pinball and ultimately led to Martinez's winner.

Meanwhile, FCInter1908 led with the line 'Jones? Makes his presence felt...", after Gazzetta's stellar assessment of his debut against Cagliari, highlighting the Englishman's "sheer force of personality".

Jones's "audacity" was also heralded by the Italian outlet, who labelled the former Liverpool man a "truly talented individual" and called on Chivu to find him a spot in the starting XI.

The midfielder's eye-catching debut against Cagliari the start of the "Jones era" at Inter Milan, according to Gazzetta, who also labelled him 'exuberant' and 'fearless' even before he helped turn the tide against Napoli.

Curtis Jones reacts to Inter Milan comeback victory

Jones also spoke to the Italian press after making a vital contribution against Napoli, dispelling the notion that Serie A is "boring" and also talking up Chivu as a key factor in his decision to leave Liverpool.

"Some people say Serie A is boring and the Premier League isn’t, but you didn’t see that today," Football Italia quotes Jones as saying. "There are great coaches here and so much tactics. Today was a beautiful match with plenty of chances, and the coach made several tactical adjustments that helped us win. Italian teams never surrender, it was a real spectacle.

"There’s a reason I came here: the phone calls we had, how the team plays, his [Chivu's] tactical ideas, and how he works every single day. It’s the small things he says, things that might seem minor but end up having a massive impact. Plus, he has immense experience and played at the highest level himself.

“He’s managed the squad brilliantly. He’s ‘one of us,’ and to me, that’s fundamental. He’s passionate and deeply loves this game, just like I do. That’s why he’s leading a club like this, and he’s doing a fantastic job.”

Jones has now put his name in the hat for a starting role when Inter face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.