Interviews

De Zerbi: Dunk is a perfect captain

Skipper is one of a number of good players in our squad says the Italian.

By Charlie Hanson • 05 November 2022

By Paul Hazlewood
Lewis Dunk has impressed Roberto De Zerbi.

Roberto De Zerbi believes that Lewis Dunk is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League.

The 30-year-old was a key part of the Albion team that finished in a club record ninth last season and De Zerbi has enjoyed working with the skipper since he arrived in September.

“Dunk is a perfect captain. We have a lot of very good guys and very good players in terms of importance in the dressing room. 

“Dunk is captain but Pascal Gross, Adam Webster, Adam Lallana, Danny Welbeck and Joel Veltman - they are very important for the other players, for the club, for the coaches. And I like that Dunk is my player.”

There have been suggestions in the media that Dunk and Welbeck have been included in England’s preliminary 55-man squad ahead of the World Cup.

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De Zerbi's Wolves press conference

“Dunk, for me, is one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. But this is my opinion and I don't want to give advice [to Gareth Southgate]. So if Dunk goes to the World Cup I will be happy for sure.  The same for Welbeck, but it's not my job to decide the players to go to the World Cup.”

De Zerbi’s focus though is very much on Wolves as he looks to make it back-to-back Premier League victories at Molineux today.

He says that last week’s win over Chelsea has no bearing on this week’s game.

“Sincerely, I have already forgotten the last game because if we want to become a great team, we must be focused on the next game.

“We play against Wolves who are a good team. They have very good players, Moutinho, Neves, Guedes, Traore.

“Football is beautiful because what you did in the last game is not important, it’s more important what you do in the next game and I want all of my players to think the same way.”