Captain Mauro Icardi Inter: Nerazzurri still hopes the striker stays at the club

Mauro Icardi has been stripped of the captaincy of Inter "for the sake of the club", but the Serie A roster still hopes to keep him in San Siro, according to athletic director Piero Ausilio.

The Nerazzurri have confirmed Wednesday that Samir Handanovic took the armband of striker Icardi, who was then excluded from the group for the first leg of their first leg of the last 32 games of the Europa League against Rapid Vienna.

Head coach Luciano Spalletti said the Argentine international had withdrawn from the group of travelers himself, and the player seemed to confirm it when he suggested on Instagram that he was treated for an injury.

Speculations about Icardi's future have increased, and Wanda Nara, his wife and agent, would have angered some club members by letting them know that it was not pretty protected from negative news.

Ausilio insists that the decision to change captain has nothing to do with discussions on a possible new contract, but insists that it was the right choice for Icardi and the rest of the company. # 39; team.

"A decision was made with the consent of everyone and it was painful to take," he said. Sky Sport. "The reasons are serious and valid, there is nothing to explain.

"Mauro remains important to us.He still has a lot to give to Inter.We do not question him as a professional or attacker, that's why I hope that it will still remain long time with us. " We "are the key word here and must always prevail for the good of the club and the locker room.

"We have taken action – and this is the last thing we would have wanted to do – after letting something flow in the past." This may seem like a setback, but for the future, it will not go away. is 10 steps forward.

"We'll talk with Icardi, although it's not ok to talk about discussions to clarify things because he has never been put in discussion and that he's an excellent player." S & # 39; he wishes, we will set the conditions to follow.

"The discussions on the contracts have in no way been affected by these events – it's a totally different subject."

Inter had signed a 1-0 win against Rapid in the absence of Icardi. Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal for the second consecutive game, converting a penalty in the first period after a foul by Manuel Thurnwald.

The striker is now hoping to have more regular opportunities to impress early on, after being badured of the 1-0 win in Serie A, in Parma last Saturday.

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"I'm happy to have scored again," he told InterTV. "We won on a difficult field and I am happy to return to Italy with a positive result.

"It 's really important to have continuity: against Parma, I started on the bench and today I was in the first team.

"I am ready to do whatever the coach asks for the good of the team." We are now heading towards Samp [Sampdoria], our next game in front of our fans, then we think back against Rapid. "