Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is set to be given the captain’s armband when the Turkish national team face off against Italy in a friendly this evening.

This according to Italian news outlet FCInterNews, who report that the 28-year-old will take over the role of captain now that former skipper Burak Yilmaz has retired from international football.

Turkey are out of the 2022 World Cup qualifying process after their loss to Portugal in a playoff on Thursday, and with this, captain Yilmaz has announced his retirement from the international game.

Calhanoglu has inherited the armband from the Lille striker, and he will have his first match in the role when his team face Italy, who also failed to qualify for the World Cup following a defeat to North Macedonia.

The 28-year-old is not likely to come up against his two Inter teammates in the Azzurri squad, Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni, however as both are set to be rested for the match.