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.

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.