Hakan Calhanoglu is hoping that his Inter Milan Nicolo Barella can quickly recover from injury for Italy at EURO 2024.

The Turkey captain spoke to Italian broadcaster RAI Sport, via FCInterNews, following a pre-tournament friendly between his team and Italy.

Yesterday, Italy took on Turkey in a warmup match for the upcoming Euros.

There were two Inter players in the Azzurri’s starting eleven. Both Federico Dimarco and Alessandro Bastoni lined up in the back four in the formation named by Luciano Spalletti.

Meanwhile, Davide Frattesi came off the bench for Italy.

Then, on the other side, there was also an Inter player.

30-year-old former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Calhanoglu is not just a key player for the Nerazzurri. He also captains the Turkish national team.

One player who did not play, either from the start or from the bench, was Barella.

The 27-year-old Inter midfielder was left out for fitness reason. There was not any serious injury to the former Cagliari man, but Italy coach Spalletti confirmed that he was feeling a bit of muscular fatigue.

Therefore, the Azzurri boss was hardly going to risk a key player like Barella in a pre-tournament friendly.

Hakan Calhanoglu Hoping Nicolo Barella Back To His Best For EURO 2024

In the end, Italy and Turkey played out a fairly even 0-0 draw.

The two teams got their preparations in for the upcoming Euros, but without much in the way of sparks on the pitch.

Inter and Turkey midfielder Calhanoglu noted that “Playing against Italy isn’t easy.”

“With the fullbacks coming inside. With Dimarco coming insight.”

“But we always stayed compact, with the right distances,” the 30-year-old continued.

“I’m happy because we played well against a team who are very strong.”

“It’s always nice to see your teammates,” Calhanoglu added of coming up against some familiar faces from his club.

“We’re far away, but close in our hearts, as you saw today.”

“I’m sorry for Barella,” the Turk added. “I hope that he recovers quickly.”

“He’s very important for Italy, because he’s a top player.”

“For us, it was a good thing that he didn’t play today,” Calhanoglu joked. “But I wish him a speedy recovery and Italy the best.”