Hakan Calhanoglu has finally returned to Inter Milan after his injury-plagued spell with Turkey in November’s international break.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, the 30-year-old is back at Appiano Gentile for further checks after suffering an injury last weekend.
Indeed, Calhanoglu renewed his thigh problem in Turkey’s goalless home draw against Wales.
Despite being deemed unfit to play against Montenegro, the ex-AC Milan midfielder refused to return to Inter early.
Instead, he was on the bench last night as Turkey slumped to a 3-1 defeat in Podgorica.
With Wales winning their home clash against Iceland, the Crescent-Stars failed to secure an automatic League A promotion.
Unfortunately, they’ll need to find a way into the UEFA Nations League top table via promotion playoffs.
Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi is waiting for Calhanoglu’s test results with bated breath.
Inter will meet Hellas Verona on Saturday.
With the Turkish ace’s availability still doubtful, Inzaghi may need to search for alternatives.
Hakan Calhanoglu Back at Inter Milan for Further Checks Ahead of Hellas Verona Trip
Calhanoglu will undergo additional scans to determine the extent of the damage.
However, he’s hellbent on featuring for Inter this weekend.
On the other hand, Inzaghi prefers a more careful approach.
With a daunting UEFA Champions League game against RB Leipzig on the horizon, he may refuse to risk his star at Verona.
Indeed, Albanian starlet Kristjan Asllani could take Calhanoglu’s place in the starting line-up this weekend.
Though he last played in Serie A in mid-September, the 22-year-old feels ready to return to action.
Asllani failed to help Albania protect their League B status last night.
Ukraine’s 2-1 triumph in Tirana left the Inter deep-lying playmaker frustrated.
However, he must shrug off the stress if he’s to prove a worthy replacement for Calhanoglu.
Given the current situation at the top of the Serie A table, failure at Marc’Antonio Bentegodi is not an option.