Luciano Spalletti is unwilling to publicly criticise Mauro Icardi after losing the Inter captaincy because he does not have the alternatives up front to cope without him, Tuttosport reported today.
Icardi missed Inter’s 1-0 win over Rapid Vienna in Thursday after initially being included in the match-day squad and is all but certain to sit out tomorrow’s match at home to Sampdoria.
Lautaro Martinez replaced the 25 year-old in midweek and will deputise again at San Siro on Sunday, but he is one yellow card away from a one-game suspension in Serie A.
Keita Balde is the other credible alternative in Icardi’s absence but he has still not fully recovered from the thigh injury he sustained a month ago.
Spalletti is therefore wary of next weekend’s match away to Fiorentina, where he may not be able to count upon either, leading the Inter boss to keep a low profile as the Icardi saga continues.
