Luciano Spalletti Lambasts Mauro Icardi for 'Humiliating' Inter Fans With Refusal to Play for Club

Luciano Spalletti has blasted Mauro Icardi for humiliating Inter supporters after the Argentinean striker was left out for the Nerazzurri's 1-0 defeat against Lazio on Sunday.

Icardi hasn't played since early February amid talks over a new contract, but he returned to first team training during the international break and was in line for a potential start on Sunday - only to be omitted from the squad.

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Inter  put in a disappointing performance during the defeat but, when posed with the notion that the result could have been different had Icardi been involved, Spalletti provided a clear response.

"Today, the only choice for Icardi was to stay out, it is only right that the others should play for how they have behaved," he told Sky Sports Italia, (via Calciomercato). "Credibility is needed and at this moment, it is right that others should play because in the locker room credibility is needed.

"People say we lose many games without Icardi, but the team did not qualify for Champions League for years when he started. Inter have lost much worse games than this with Icardi. It is humiliating for fans to negotiate with a player to get him to wear the shirt they love.

"Few players make a real difference, Messi is one of these, Icardi is not."

Speaking about his side's performances, Spalletti was keen to take away any positives and suggested the defeat will help his side improve.

“Unfortunately, they scored the first goal while we missed many chances,” he said, as per SempreInter.

“They were very compact, especially in their defensive third, so it was difficult for us. We tried to break them down but then again by conceding the goal we made our life complicated.

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“Can the defeat help us grow? It creates the prerequisites to always improve by working hard.”