There are fewer and fewer doubts about the status of Inter striker Lautaro Martinez as his team’s most important leader on the pitch, and the player to inherit the captain’s armband from Samir Handanovic.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that the past few weeks have really confirmed the Argentine’s new role in the team.
Whilst Martinez had a poor game and failed to score against Sampdoria on Monday, the 25-year-old nevertheless was one of the main figures who rallied the troops afterwards.
The sense is that, on a mental level, Martinez is a player who can now recover from bad moments such as Monday’s match, having perhaps struggled with this aspect earlier on in his time at the Nerazzurri.
Now, Martinez looks likely to be the player to be Inter captain whenever Handanovic leaves, considering that Milan Skriniar put himself out of the running with his decision to leave at the end of the season.
In tomorrow’s match against Udinese Marcelo Brozovic will wear the armband, considering the Croat is the most experienced Inter player likely to start, and this is the criterion by which the captain has been selected since Handanovic has been benched.
However, for the longer-term future, there is little doubt that it will be Martinez who will succeed Handanovic, having shown himself more than suitable to the role in his recent appearances with the armband.