John Stones said he is "very excited for what's to come" at Inter after marking his debut with a goal in a 1-0 pre-season victory over Real Betis.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Nerazzurri this summer, needed just 12 minutes after coming off the bench to make his mark, firing in on the turn from Benjamin Pavard's knock-down in the box to secure a deserved win in Inter's final pre-season friendly.

It was a dominant performance from Cristian Chivu's side, who produced 1.44 expected goals (xG) from 16 attempts while restricting Betis to just seven shots worth a meagre 0.14 xG.

Inter also welcomed back captain Lautaro Martinez, who helped Argentina reach the World Cup final this summer, while Nicolo Barella once again set the standard in midfield. The Italian international created a match-high five chances, completed the most passes in the final third for his side (18), and won three of his seven duels.

Stones was understandably delighted to open his Inter account at the first opportunity and was quick to praise the collective effort of the team.

"I'm truly very happy: it's a pleasure for me to have scored this goal, especially because it doesn't happen to me often," Stones said after the match. "Wearing the Nerazzurri shirt and scoring this goal is special, I'm very excited for what's to come. The team's performance was very positive, everyone worked incredibly hard, and I'm happy I was able to give them a deserved victory."

The former Manchester City defender was clearly moved by the stature of his new club, adding: "This is a beautiful shirt, one of the most beautiful in football history: you can feel the greatness of this club everywhere at the training centre. I've seen the trophies, this is a special team, and I'm proud to be a part of it. We want to write new pages in history."

Looking ahead to the new Serie A campaign, Stones acknowledged the challenge that awaits but embraced the opportunity to test himself in a new league and a different style of football.

"Serie A is tough, there are many strong teams fighting for Champions League spots: I'm excited for this challenge and I want to experience a new style of play that I'm not used to," he said. "I've stepped out of my comfort zone: let's see what happens."