Lautaro Martínez Out for a Month: Inter Captain to Miss Milan Derby With Thigh Injury

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martínez has picked up a left thigh injury and faces around a month on the sidelines, the Serie A champions confirmed on Thursday — a blow that will keep him out of the first Milan derby of the season.

The striker underwent clinical and diagnostic tests which, the club said, “revealed a strain in his left hamstring”. Inter did not specify the length of his absence, but Italian media report the Argentine will be out until the next international break in November.

Derby absence

The timing could hardly be worse. The 29-year-old is set to miss the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan on 31 October, along with a run of league and European fixtures as Inter try to hold off second-placed Lazio at the top of Serie A.

Martínez had been in strong form, scoring twice in Inter’s 4-3 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge in midweek — a game in which Simone Inzaghi’s side let a lead slip at the San Siro — and adding four league goals already this season.

Who steps up

Inzaghi now has to reorganise his attack for the derby and beyond. Marcus Thuram is the most likely candidate to lead the line alone, with Mehdi Taremi and Francesco Pio Esposito options to partner or deputise for the Inter captain.

A season-shaping month

Muscle injuries of this type typically follow a two-to-four-week rehabilitation pattern before a return to full team training, and Inter’s medical staff are expected to manage the captain’s comeback conservatively rather than rush him back for a single fixture — even one as big as the derby. How Inter cope without their talisman over the next month may go a long way to deciding whether they are still top of the table when he returns.

Inter, who lead Lazio only on goal difference at the top of the table, cannot afford an extended wobble without their captain — and the fixture list offers no respite, with the derby followed by a demanding stretch of fixtures in November.

This article is based on Inter Milan’s official club statement and AFP reporting.