With Argentina reaching the World Cup semi-finals, Lautaro Martinez will resume training with Inter just one week before their key Serie A clash with Napoli, so it’s unsure whether El Toro will start against the Partenopei.
Martinez’s Argentina will face Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, and whether the South Americans reach the Final or not, Lautaro won’t be back in Milan before December 28.
Inter players involved in the World Cup will go on holiday for 10 days before returning to the Suning Training Centre, so Lautaro will be back on December 29 if Argentina reach the Final and one day earlier if they play the third-place play-off on Saturday, December 17.
According to Gazzetta, this means Lautaro won’t be a sure starter in the big Serie A match between the Nerazzurri and Napoli on January 4, 2023.
Simone Inzaghi hopes Romelu Lukaku will be fully fit for the first Serie A game of the year as the Belgian striker has almost three weeks to get in shape.
Lautaro, on the other hand, may not be at his best, so the Nerazzurri boss is already making his assessments. Either Edin Dzeko or Joaquin Correa could start close to Lukaku even if Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a further option up front.