Italian journalist Riccardo Trevisani identifies Hakan Calhanoglu as the one player Inter Milan cannot replace.

The 30-year-old has now cemented himself as one of the finest midfielders on the planet. Many consider him the absolute best deep-lying playmaker in football today.

With Calhanoglu on the pitch, Inter’s chances of winning are always boosted. This is evidenced by the betting odds of the most reliable online sports betting websites.

The Turkiye international is the one who holds the key in Simone Inzaghi’s middle of the park. Over the past few years, he has established a great rapport with fellow star midfielders Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

However, the international break often spells injury concerns for the clubs, especially those like Inter who have more than a dozen players away on international duty.

Unfortunately for the Nerazzurri, Calhanoglu picked up a knock during his stay with the Turkish national team.

Therefore, the former AC Milan man is in doubt for the club’s upcoming Serie A clash against Hellas Verona. The contest will take place at the Bentegodi Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

For his part, Trevisani explains just how big of a blow this would be for the reigning Italian champions.

Riccardo Trevisani Explains Why Hakan Calhanoglu Is Irreplaceable At Inter Milan

The pundit argues that Inzaghi can do without almost anyone else, but just not Calhanoglu. He feels that Kristjan Asllani doesn’t have to it takes to properly replace the Turk.

“If I had an upcoming match against Inter and you ask me who would I like to remove from their squad, I would say Calhanoglu,” said the journalist during his appearance on Fontana di Trevi via FcInterNews.

“In my opinion, Hakan contributes 50% to the quality of the team. You can replace a striker with Taremi, even if he would be a downgrade.

“You can also drop Pavard for Bisseck, change Dumfries with Darmian, Carlos Augusto for Dimarco, Zielinski for Mkhitaryan who isn’t as good as last season.

“But as good as Asllani is, he is not Calhanoglu.”

Trevisani also previewed the big weekend clash between Napoli and Roma. This contest will witness the beginning of Claudio Ranieri’s third managerial stint with the Giallorossi.

“Will Napoli still be top of the league on Sunday? Ranieri will give a jolt of energy for Roma who will play a good match in Naples.

“However, I just don’t know if it will be enough. So the answer is: maybe not,” concluded the journalist.