Former Juventus and Bologna midfielder Giancarlo Marocchi feels that the mistake that Inter made with the situation of defender Milan Skriniar ended up affecting the entire locker room.

Speaking on Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInter1908, the former midfielder suggested that not selling the Slovakian whilst they had the chance was a huge error, but also that the players did well to recover from the setback all things considered.

There is no doubt that the decision of Skriniar not to sign an extension with Inter and to instead leave to join Paris Saint-Germain when his deal with the Nerazzurri expires has come as a big blow not just to the club but to morale of the team.

Moreover, there is the fact that the timing of the player’s decision seemed to coincide with a drop-off in the Nerazzurri’s form at a key point in the season.

Then, there is the fact that the former Sampdoria defender is not likely to play for Inter again due to having received back surgery for which the recovery period should rule him out for some while.

Marocchi gave the view that “Inter made a massive mistake in not cashing in on Skriniar while they had the chance in August, it gave them a problem in the locker room which also ended up affecting other players.”

“But then I’m happy with what I’ve seen on the pitch, because Darmian came in and the team reached the semifinals of the Champions League,” he added, “when you get rid of a problem player, it gives more enthusiasm to the other players.”

“Inter started off strong in January, then we got carried away by the possibility of a hypothetical Scudetto race that never ended up coming to pass,” Marocchi added, “but the table never lies in that respect.”