The upcoming derby clash with AC Milan could be an early test of what the relationship between defender Milan Skriniar and fans of the Nerazzurri will look like for the rest of the season.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that there are clear signs of tension if not an outright fracture in the bond between the Slovakian and Nerazzurri fans emerging.
It is now clear that Skriniar will remain an Inter player over the rest of the season, and there is little question that the 27-year-old will have an important role to play on the pitch.
There are big question marks over how the former Sampdoria defender will be received by fans after the past few weeks, however.
It has been made abundantly clear that Skriniar intends to leave the Nerazzurri and join Paris Saint-Germain, and this has been something that the supporters have been starting to digest.
Before yesterday evening’s Coppa Italia clash between Inter and Atalanta at the San Siro, a match from which Skriniar was absent amid his contract soap opera, the Curva Nord ultras group flew a banner essentially blaming both Skriniar and the club directors for letting the situation get to this point.
It will remain to be seen whether the previously strong bond between the 27-year-old and Inter’s supporters can be rebuilt given that the fans have become jaded that a player who had previously shown so much loyalty and made statements as such has decided to leave under these circumstances.
However, the Gazzetta notes, there is a real chance that the Slovakian will start against Milan on Sunday, and he should at least be back on the bench.
As such, the newspaper suggests, this weekend could prove to be a crucial litmus test for what the dynamic will be between Skriniar and Inter’s fans over the remainder of his final season wearing a Nerazzurri shirt.
