Inter blow: Curtis Jones is injured. Out against Parma, who plays in his place

The English midfielder has been injured and will not be available for the match against Parma

Bad news for Cristian Chivu from the treatment room at Appiano Gentile. After the encouraging updates in recent days, which had brought almost the entire squad back to full training after the break, with only Stones still in the reconditioning phase, Curtis Jones has been ruled out by a muscular problem. The Englishman has suffered a thigh injury and will be sidelined for a significant spell.

He was ready to start

After spending the international break working at Pinetina, the former Liverpool player had looked certain to start for Chivu when Inter resume their league campaign on Saturday at 6pm.

Now that plan has changed and the Romanian coach will have to rethink. Calhanoglu will certainly come into the middle, while Henrik Mkhitaryan is also almost sure to start after three full weeks of work at Appiano Gentile. One of the players returning from international duty will have to replace Jones, and right now Nicolò Barella is the leading candidate.

The statement

Curtis Jones underwent clinical and instrumental tests this morning at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano.

Those tests revealed a myofascial problem in the adductors of his right thigh.

Doctors will reassess his condition in the coming days.

Out for a long time?

A strain is not a tear, but with a muscle this delicate, and with several other areas involved too, caution will be needed. Barring surprises, he will certainly miss the match against Parma and the Champions League game against Bruges on Tuesday 13 October. He is also expected to remain sidelined against Bologna on Saturday 17 October, again barring surprises. The target for his return could fall between the cup match with Shakhtar and the following big match against Fiorentina, but much will depend on how Jones' recovery develops.