Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti has acknowledged that it was a tough decision to strip Mauro Icardi from the captain’s armband. The Argentine has been the skipper of the San Siro side for the past three-and-half seasons but he has been ousted from the duties amid his poor run of form and contract dispute with the club.

Speaking to reporters, Spalletti said that it was not easy to strip Icardi from the captaincy but the club had to do so with his current situation at the club, he said: “It was a difficult and painful decision, we all know his worth. We made it together with all of the components of the club and it was done exclusively for the good of Inter and of the team. There are some things concerning the player that had to be worked out. He was disappointed, he was upset. It was difficult to tell him… These things embarrass the team, of which he was captain, and the club.”

Icardi’s removal from the captaincy has been supported by the majority of the first-team squad but the striker has not been impressed by the same. The Argentine missed the midweek Europa League gameat Rapid Vienna due to the disappointment and his absence could extend further when the Nerazzurri entertain Sampdoria for the weekend’s league clash.

Initially, Spalletti had fancied Icardi to return to contention for the weekend but he is said to have missed training on Friday with a knee swelling which has ruled him out of the Sunday game.Meanwhile, Inter have gone through a tough run of results since the turn of the year but they have the opportunity to secure a third-straight triumph across all competitions when Sampdoria make the trip to the San Siro. Inter are currently third on the table with 43 points.