Simone Inzaghi has decided that striker Lautaro Martinez will be Inter Milan captain next season.
This according to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInter1908, who report that the Nerazzurri coach will also make midfielder Nicolo Barella the official vice-captain as he aims to cement a new leadership regime at the core of the squad following Samir Handanovic’s departure.
Samir Handanovic has said goodbye to Inter after eleven seasons at the club.
The Slovenian departs after having worn the captain’s armband in his last four seasons and change.
Therefore, Inter will have to replace Handanovic as captain on a permanent basis.
Last season, Inter had a policy that when Handanovic was not in the starting eleven, the most senior player in the team would wear the armband.
That meant that Milan Skriniar frequently captained Inter from match to match.
However, the club stripped the Slovenian of the armband permanently after he rejected a contract offer and decided to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Marcelo Brozovic frequently wore the armband last season. However, he too is gone like Skriniar, having joined Al-Nassr.
Veteran defender Danilo D’Ambrosio has also left Inter on a free transfer, even if he was never as serious a candidate to become the permanent captain like Skriniar or Brozovic.
Inzaghi Has Made His Decision – Lautaro Martinez Will Be Inter Milan Captain
Lautaro Martinez, who joined Inter back in 2018, was also captain for several matches last season. And, with Handanovic gone, the 25-year-old is Inter’s longest-serving player.
Therefore, the Argentine is in many respects the logical choice to succeed Handanovic with the armband.
Moreover, it is not as though Martinez has played a peripheral role in his half a decade at Inter.
The striker has been the Nerazzurri’s top scorer in each of the last two seasons.
Moreover, Martinez’s workrate and leadership on the pitch have been at the heart of the team’s style of play. The 25-year-old has also grown into a leader in the dressing room.
Therefore, Sky report, Inzaghi will entrust Martinez with the responsibility of being captain.
And, for the vice-captain role, the coach will hand the position to midfielder Barella.
The Italy international joined Inter from Cagliari in the summer of 2019. And like Martinez, he has been an absolutely key player for the Nerazzurri as well as showing plenty of leadership.
