Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is likely to be rested in Inter Milan’s Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg tomorrow.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who anticipate that Davide Frattesi will take the Armenian’s place in the Nerazzurri starting lineup for the group stage clash.
Even at 34 years of age, Mkhitaryan has shown no signs of his role in Inter’s team diminishing.
On the contrary, the former Arsenal, Manchester United, and Roma midfielder has been as much a fixture in the Nerazzurri starting eleven as ever.
The fact that Mkhitaryan has retired from international duty has helped him with this consistency. The veteran midfielder has been able to train and recuperate during the international breaks rather than putting in more demanding minutes.
Therefore it was little surprise to see Mkhitaryan in the starting eleven against Torino over the weekend.
The Armenian is a key player for knitting together Inter’s midfield. Coach Simone Inzaghi seems insistent on using the 34-year-old to set the tone as part of the trio.
But according to the Corriere, Mkhitaryan will get what is a relatively rare rest for him these days tomorrow.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan To Be Rested In Inter Vs Red Bull Salzburg UCL Clash
According to the Corriere, Inzaghi will make four or five lineup changes for tomorrow’s group stage match.
And one of them will be to give midfielder Davide Frattesi a start.
The former Sassuolo midfielder had come off the bench against Torino on Saturday. He played a little over half an hour, which was perhaps about as much as he was able to after the international break.
But Frattesi will start tomorrow.
There are a couple players who the 24-year-old could replace in the midfield trio. And according to the Corriere, it will be Mkhitaryan.
The newspaper also report that Inzaghi is seriously considering starting Alexis Sanchez in attack.
The alternative would be to use both Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram from the start yet again.
