Calhanoglu’s poor form since return concerns Inzaghi and Inter | OneFootball

Inter have been waiting impatiently for Hakan Calhanoglu to recover from injury, but his return has proven to be far from a valuable addition so far, as he has seemed nowhere near his best form.

The Nerazzurri midfield metronome was forced off during the first-half of his side’s loss in the Supercoppa Italiana final in early January, as he remained sidelined for the remainder of the month with Kristjan Asllani taking his place.

While Simone Inzaghi hoped to have the Turkey international back as soon as possible, his first two starts since his full recovery, which came in two crucial games for the Biscione, saw him struggle to play at the same level he used to.

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – DECEMBER 10: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale takes a shot whilst under pressure from Exequiel Palacios of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Internazionale Milano at BayArena on December 10, 2024 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

After nearly a month of absence, the coach included Calhanoglu in Inter’s starting XI for the Derby della Madonnina against Milan, but the midfielder was dispossessed by Tammy Abraham, leading to the Rossoneri’s opener by Tijjani Reijnders.

Calhanoglu’s return not what Inzaghi and Inter expected

La Gazzetta dello Sport described the playmaker as ‘slow’ and ‘not aggressive’ in the clash against the city rivals, but it didn’t stop Inzaghi from fielding him again at Fiorentina, believing he just needed to hit his stride after several weeks on the sidelines.

However, his display in the rescheduled match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was possibly even worse, albeit the whole team performed poorly in a disappointing night.

MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 10: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on November 10, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

However, following the recent worrying responses, the paper wonders whether it wouldn’t be the case to consider keeping Calhanoglu on the bench when Inter take on Fiorentina again, this time at home, on Monday, giving him more time to fully recover, both physically and mentally.

The Nerazzurri have been forced to do without the Turkish star for six games in January, winning five of them and drawing one against Bologna.