Inter Milan head coach Cristian Chivu has publicly defended midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu following criticism in Turkey regarding his absence from the recent UEFA Nations League match between Italy and Turkiye.
Calhanoglu, who captains the Turkiye national team, was not part of Vincenzo Montella’s squad for the international break due to an injury. However, questions arose when he did not attend the game in Bologna to support his teammates.
Chivu Explains Absence
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Chivu took responsibility for Calhanoglu’s non-attendance. He explained that he had called his players for a late training session on Monday, the same day the Nations League fixture took place.
“Rumours have come out of Turkey about the fact that he did not go and watch his teammates on Monday. The problem was me,” Chivu stated. “We trained late in the afternoon and I wanted him to be there, otherwise I would have given him the day off to let him go and watch the game. We trained late in the afternoon that day and I didn’t give him the time off because I needed to work with him.”
Calhanoglu’s Return to Fitness
Despite his injury-enforced absence from the national squad, Calhanoglu has been back in training with Inter for the past week. Chivu confirmed that the midfielder is now fully available for selection for Inter’s upcoming matches.
“Hakan came back on Monday, he’s been training with the group without any issues for the last week. He’s available,” Chivu added, clarifying the player’s current fitness status.
The Italy vs. Turkiye match, which Calhanoglu missed, was a Nations League encounter held in Bologna.