Inter defender Milan Skriniar finds himself in limbo at the Nerazzurri, still playing for the club and set to fight for trophies over the rest of the season, but knowing full well that after the summer he will be playing in a different shirt.
As Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport highlights in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews, there are serious parallels between the 27-year-old’s situation and that of wingback Ivan Perisic twelve months ago.
Last season, Perisic had arguably been Inter’s outstanding player over the course of the season, as the Croat was decisive on both sides of the ball time and time again.
On the pitch, the now-Tottenham Hotspur man’s contribution never wavered, as he was consistent virtually from the first day of the campaign until the last.
Off the pitch, however, there was the contract situation to think about, as Perisic’s deal expired at the end of last June.
The club were naturally keen to extend the Croat’s deal considering the form that he was in, whilst the player and his representatives were willing to enter into negotiations with the Nerazzurri.
However, in the end, Perisic was not convinced by the club’s offer, and so took the decision to make the move away.
The fact that the 33-year-old kept his level up over the final months of the season, and of his time as an Inter player, was a decisive factor in the Nerazzurri winning the Coppa Italia and pushing AC Milan in the Serie A title race until the final day of the campaign, however.
Skriniar finds himself in a situation not dissimilar to Perisic’s last time around, although in the case of the Slovakian, it is all but confirmed that he will leave in the summer rather than merely uncertain.
However, the Nerazzurri will hope that Skriniar can take Perisic’s displays over his final few months in an Inter shirt, and continue to show some of his very best form while he’s still at the club as they look to end their season on a positive note.
