After five matches played by Inter at the start of this season, only 11 minutes have been played on the field by the new signing Andy Diouf. The French midfielder, the most expensive investment of the Nerazzurri summer thanks to the 25 million euros paid to Lens, was sent onto the field by Chivu just a few days after his arrival in Milan, only at the end of the match that was overwhelmingly won in the season opener against Torino.

As many will remember, Diouf arrived following failed attempts for Manu Koné, Inter’s real target for the midfield. Once the definitive no from Roma was received, the name of the former Lens player surprisingly emerged, in a deal completed within a few days. Bought for his physicality and incredible full-field acceleration, the 2003-born player has not yet had his chance.

As highlighted this morning by La Gazzetta dello Sport, so far he has always “remained parked on the bench” and less than him in Chivu’s squad up to this point “only Palacios has been seen, a surplus who then stayed at Appiano and is still short of seasonal appearances.”

The impression is that sooner or later Diouf’s moment will come, once he has completed his adaptation to Inter and especially to Italian football. Only at that point will it be possible to truly assess the value of the 25 million investment: if the response is positive, Chivu could even consider testing a two-man midfield; if not, it is not excluded that the name of Koné could come back into fashion around Viale della Liberazione for next summer.