Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is not the right man to act as a deputy for fellow midfielder Marcelo Brozovic in the Nerazzurri’s squad, according to Italian media.
Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport argued that the Turk did not look up to the task in yesterday evening’s Serie A draw with Fiorentina, and that the team will have to find a better solution ahead of next season.
Brozovic missed his second game in a row, and his third of the season in Serie A, and after previous unsuccessful experiments with having Nicolo Barella and then Matias Vecino fill in for him, Simone Inzaghi turned to Calhanoglu.
The 28-year-old’s composed passing and vision made him a logical candidate to replicate Brozovic’s influence in building up possession, and in this respect he looked mostly up to the task.
However, positionally and in terms of his defensive presence, Calhanoglu was not at the level that the Croat displays whenever he plays, in the view of the Corriere.
For this reason, they argue that a new, more suitable solution is needed to act as a backup for Brozovic starting next campaign.
