The Nerazzurri captain has returned to Pinetina together with Thuram and the new signing John Stones. Lautaro Martinez has resumed training after the post-World Cup holidays, kicking off his ninth season in the Nerazzurri shirt, the fourth with the captain’s armband. Starting Wednesday, the three will join the rest of the group to prepare for the league debut.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Argentine and the Englishman shared the World Cup disappointment, but Appiano represents the ideal place to turn the page. The captain knows the training center well, while for the defender it is still an environment to discover. Stones has already understood the specific weight of his new teammate, the third top scorer in the club’s history with 175 goals in 376 appearances, 33 goals behind Spillo Altobelli.

Yesterday’s day included a personalized session with exercise bike, gym work, and a first run on the pitch, documented by the official channels. In addition to Martinez and Stones, Marcus Thuram, new dad Petar Sucic, and Manuel Akanji, another World Cup participant who missed the tour in Asia and Australia, also followed the individual program. The rest of the team returned after a 17-hour flight from Perth.

The number 10 has already had the chance to discuss plans for the new season with Chivu, even though the two had only briefly met in Miami during the World Cup. Communication between coach and captain has never been interrupted. “Happy to be back. For the ninth year with the same desire and ambition as always,” wrote Lautaro on social media, accompanying the message with the hashtag #ForzaInter.

The captain represents the tool through which the coach’s thoughts are transmitted to the locker room: his flag-bearer figure shows the way and is followed by everyone. In recent hours, he has filled his social profile with Nerazzurri photos, almost as if to show the world his desire to start again.

From now until August 22, the date of the debut against Monza, physical condition cannot be optimal and the coach is aware of this. Initially, on the eve of the Australian derby with Milan, Chivu had hinted that he would not be able to field the ThuLa from the start, but those considerations were scaled back in statements following the victory over Juve. The coach knows how complicated it is to do without the main strikers, especially the Argentine who will return fired up after the final lost at MetLife Stadium: having missed the World Cup repeat, Lautaro does not want to fail the league title repeat.

👉🏻 CONTINUE READING