They used to call it ‘Fergie Time’, and with some justification. How many times, during the glorious era of Sir Alex Ferguson, did we witness Manchester United score big goals in big moments in big games, usually as the clock ticked around 90?
Steve Bruce at Sheffield Wednesday. John O’Shea at Anfield. That iconic Federico Macheda curler.
So while the jeopardy was not quite the same – Inter Milan were already cruising well clear at the top of the Serie A table before travelling to Udinese on Monday night – the timing of Davide Frattesi’s winner, with 95 minutes on the stopwatch, brought another old cliche to mind.
The ‘hallmark of champions’.
Former Manchester United man Matteo Darmian set to win the league
And ‘champions’ is what Inter Milan will be. The Nerrazzuri – under the stewardship of perhaps European football’s most underrated tactician in Simone Inzaghi – moved a staggering 14 points clear of city rivals AC Milan as Frattesi popped up in the dying seconds of stoppage time.
As such, Matteo Darmian – the former Manchester United full-back who has enjoyed quite the resurgence at the San Siro – is destined to pick up his seventh piece of silverware since leaving Old Trafford back in 2019.
Darmian, who slipped down the pecking order after Jose Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal in the Red Devils dugout, looked to have missed the boat at the very highest level when his time at Man United ended prematurely. That he is now a key part of the best Inter side since Mourinho’s treble-winning heyday – at the age of 34 – is testament not only to Darmian’s renowned flexibility but also Inzaghi’s penchant for coaxing career-best performances out of players written off by other managers.
“I chose Manchester United and England because I wanted to deal with a new reality. To this day I am very proud of what I did,” Darmian told Radio Serie A a few weeks ago.
“I was enthusiastic about that transfer and today I can say that I am proud of what I did. It is one of, if not the most important championships in the world, full of great champions.”
Darmian will be a ‘champion’ himself sooner rather than later. A second Serie A winners’ medal heading the way of a man who was also part of Antonio Conte’s Scudetto-winning side in 2021.
Inter Milan move 14 points clear in Serie A
“Winning is the only way to be remembered,” the veteran Italy international adds. “Winning the second Scudetto star would be something extraordinary.”
“I hope to continue wearing this shirt for future years, for me they’re like a second family. The time to stop will come, I haven’t thought about my post-football career yet. I’d like to stay in this world, but don’t ask me to do any coaching today.
“Will Inter be the last club of my career? It’d be nice, I don’t know what’ll happen in the next few years, but it’s a dream.”