Milan Skriniar Happy at Inter Amid Manchester United, Barcelona Rumours

Milan Skriniar has dealt a blow to admirers Manchester United and Barcelona after he expressed his happiness at Inter Milan and desire to remain there long-term.

According to the Daily Star's Andy Wilson, the pair are believed to be among those with a keen eye on the defender, but at an award ceremony for Slovakian Footballer of the Year, he said: "I really like Inter. I am very happy to be here and it will be nice to make a career like the one that Marek Hamsik has had at Napoli."

His agent, Karol Csonto, has already moved to play down talk of a move this season. In November, the agent said:

"He signed a five-year contract with Inter in the summer, so no one within the club is thinking about selling him.

"It may happen that someone offers so much money that Inter have to consider it, but I don't want to speculate if it would be €50 million or €70 million.

"He's doing really well in Milan, he's playing well so obviously his price is increasing."

Skriniar has made a significant impact at Inter since arriving from Sampdoria last summer. His defence has shipped just 21 goals in 28 Serie A matches, and he has played every minute of their season and struck four times at the other end.

The 23-year-old's impressive defending played a key role in the Nerazzurri securing a 0-0 draw at home to Napoli earlier in March, and he earned the plaudits from football writer David Amoyal, Variety's Andrew Barker and Eurosport's Siavoush Fallahi:

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe and Onefootball's Phil Costa picked out his one-on-one defending from that match as one of his core strengths:

Given he excels in such situations, it comes as little surprise the Slovakia international is a composed presence at the back, and he's comfortable on the ball, too.

According to Squawka, he has completed all 19 take-ons he has attempted this season, and he has accurately picked out a team-mate with 91 per cent of his passes.

He has also won 44 tackles and 45 headed duels, as well as making 28 interceptions, 20 blocks and 141 clearances.

Inter clearly have a gem on their hands, and it's little surprise his form has captured the attention of Europe's elite.

It seems he has plans to stay at the San Siro for quite some time, though, so interested teams may need to look elsewhere for reinforcements this summer.