Football General Manager
- Chivu provides optimistic update on Calhanoglu
- Reveals Turk is raring to bounce back after CWC misery
- Midfielder recently broke silence on Martinez feud
Inter head coach Chivu has provided a fresh update on Calhanoglu’s fitness amid rumours that he could leave the club this summer, confirming that the midfielder has recovered from the injury relapse he suffered in training at the Club World Cup just days after featuring in the Champions League final.
The past few months have been arguably the lowest point of Calhanoglu’s stint at Inter. After a shocking Serie A title race collapse and losing to rivals AC Milan in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia, the Turkish international suffered an injury in the 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Despite the setback, he flew with his team-mates to the United States to feature in the Club World Cup, but his participation in the tournament was cut short after suffering a relapse during training.
The shock 2-0 loss to underdogs Fluminense in the round of 16 piled on to Calhanoglu’s misery, with Inter captain Martinez firing shots at the 31-year-old. That prompted the former Milan man to post a long statement on social media in the aftermath of the incident as the feud played out in public. He was also linked with a summer transfer, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce after him, but he has since put the feud with Martinez behind him and declared his desire to stay at San Siro.
Chivu has backed the 31-year-old to bounce back from the injury and chaos of the summer, telling reporters: “I’m happy he’s back healthy. He’s worked hard this summer and is really hungry to bounce back. He was very disappointed in America for not being able to help the team. He tried in training and got hurt again. His expectations, and ours as well, were to have him for the second match. He’s worked hard, and I saw him doing very well in the first training session.”
Calhanoglu has been training with the Inter squad, who began their pre-season training on July 26. They will kick-start their campaign against Torino in a Serie A fixture on August 25.
