Marcelo Brozovic will have work to do if he wants to re-establish his place as the first-choice option at the base of Inter’s midfield trio when he returns from injury.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who suggest that the 29-year-old could find it much harder than he’d have expected to break back into the team ahead of Hakan Calhanoglu.
Given how much Inter struggled in Brozovic’s absence last season, they may well have expected the Croat’s absence through injury this time around to be a major setback, and that getting him back couldn’t come soon enough.
However, the Nerazzurri have in fact enjoyed excellent form in the period since Brozovic was injured during the September international break.
Whilst the expectation had been that Inter would rely on summer signing Kristjan Asllani as the Croat’s deputy in situations like this, it has been instead been Hakan Calhanoglu who has stepped into the role of regista for the team.
The Turk has not only been a solid temporary solution in the role, but has truly excelled and given a great deal of creative quality to the Nerazzurri’s buildup phase.
Therefore, it will not be a straightforward decision to displace Calhanoglu or move him back to a mezzala role now that Brozovic is close to making his return to the team.