Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte has revealed Christian Eriksen needs time to improve his fitness to Serie A levels after making his first start since leaving Tottenham.

The Danish midfielder struggled to make an impact on his first start for the Serie A club since his £17.5 million switch from Spurs late in the January transfer window.

Eriksen was replaced after just 58 minutes as Romelu Lukaku's double guided the Nerrazurri to a 2-0 win over Udinese to keep the pressure on leaders Juventus.

When asked about the 27-year-old's contribution, Conte said he was pleased with playmaker's performance and insists he only needs time to adapt to his new surroundings.

"I think that for someone who arrived five days ago, and we should not forget we had to rush him in because we were missing several midfielders, Eriksen still made a positive impact," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.

"Obviously, he needs to get settled into our style of football and also find the right fitness levels for Serie A, but I am very pleased with his full debut.

"He will get to learn the positioning we ask of our midfielders, but these are early days and I am satisfied."

Eriksen sealed a move away from Spurs with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, revealing he wanted to seek a new challenge.

Spurs began life without Eriksen with an impressive 2-0 win over Manchester City after goals from new signing Steven Bergwijn and Heung-min Son.