Cristian Chivu has highlighted his plans over the future of Inter Milan youngster, Francesco Pio Esposito, after the striker’s recent performance in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Who Is Francesco Pio Esposito?
The 19-year-old Inter Milan academy graduate is one of the brightest prospects in Milan, working his way through the ranks with Inter and now scoring his first goal for the club.
Cristian Chivu’s side progressed to the next round of the FCWC after beating River Plate 2-0 and Esposito opened the scoring for the Nerazzurri with a delightful finish.
Esposito, born in June 2005, worked his way through a plethora of Inter’s youth sides, earning a spot in the Primavera during the 2022–23 season, where at 16-years-old he scored 15 goals in 30 matches.
This prompted Inter to extend his contract until 2027, before making another extension in recent months and Esposito’s deal in Milan is now set to run until 2030.
Inter decided to loan their star prospect out at the start of the 2023/24 season and after a successful spell with Spezia, he rejoined the club on a temporary basis for the 2024/25 season.
Esposito really made his mark on the team in his second season, scoring 17 goals in 35 Serie B appearances and helping the club reach the play-off final.
Such an impressive performance meant that Chivu, who has been heavily praised by the likes of Denzel Dumfries since becoming Inter manager, selected Esposito for the FCWC.
The 19-year-old has featured in two of Inter’s three matches so far, doing so with his older brother, Sebastiano Esposito, who has played in each of Inter’s three matches so far.
Sebastiano has been loaned out to various clubs around Italy since 2021, playing for the likes of SPAL, Venezia, Bari, Sampdoria and Empoli – failing to set the world alight so far.
Perfect time for Francesco Esposito to score his first Inter goal 😤
(via @DAZNFootball)pic.twitter.com/zofaCyzaHg
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 26, 2025
Does Cristian Chivu Want To Keep Pio Esposito?
After making such an impact in his first start for Inter, the buzz around Pio Esposito is obviously at an all-time high and fans will be hoping to see the striker going forward.
However, Cristian Chivu was wary of heaping too much praise on the striker and claims he is not looking too far into the future over whether or not he will keep a hold of the youngster for next season.
Chivu said: “He was up to the task in a serious match. It wasn’t easy, either physically or in terms of nerves. But he, as with his teammates, played a great match.
“I never look too far into the future. I look at the players I have available and I try to find a solution by giving everyone a chance to feel important and a part of the project.
“To find the energy, ambition, and character despite some difficulties, to always be a part of the team and the group.
“I asked Pio, as well as the players with more experience, to give their best then, we’ll see what happens in the future when this competition ends.
“But right now, we’re thinking about what we have to do here. Because it’s a real, important competition that we want to make the most of.”
Inter will now face Fluminense in the next round of the FCWC and the Italian side are now one of the favorites to go on to win the competition on the best betting apps.
