England defender Djed Spence could be handed his long-awaited debut for Inter Milan against Parma on Saturday.
Spence completed a £30 million ($40m) switch from Tottenham Hotspur to the Italian club nearly two months ago but is yet to feature for Nerazzurri.
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However, speaking ahead of his side’s clash against Parma at San Siro, Inter head coach Cristian Chivu said Spence, who has been sidelined since the World Cup, is available to play.
“Djed has been training with us for a week,” Chivu said Friday. “He’s been following the team’s programme since Monday, without restrictions or any other issues, and he’s completed five good training sessions.
“We mustn’t forget his rehabilitation period and the holiday he had after the World Cup. He’s been away from the pitch for two months.
“Now he’s available and will be in the squad. We’re delighted to have him back. We’re finally seeing his smile again and getting to see his qualities.”
The Italian champions’ winning start to their Serie A defence ended with a 2-2 draw at Roma prior to the international break.
Inter trail leaders Roma on goal difference only, but at the other end of the table, Parma have taken just four points from their opening five contests.
But Chivu insisted: “I think that over the years we’ve learned not to underestimate our opponents.
“We saw the maturity this team reached in that respect last season. We lost the derbies and some other important games, but we didn’t get anything else wrong, and that’s why we won the league.
“On paper, matches tell you nothing. They don’t reveal the whole truth, and we’re well aware of that. We try to turn up on Saturday as the best version of ourselves.
“We have to work hard and give everything to win every game, with the right confidence to go out and earn whatever the day has to offer.”
Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini said he expects his side to challenge Inter for the crown following their recent draw with the champions.
But when pressed as to whether he expects Roma to be their chief protagonists this season, Chivu replied: “Why don’t we talk about the team chasing Roma, Como, Juventus or AC Milan? Why is it always about who can stop Inter?
“We know what we are, but to turn our competitiveness into success, we have to fight. We don’t need anyone to remind us that we want to wear the crown.
“We have to fight to earn it. It’s far too early to talk about these things. We have 13 points, and there are teams on eleven. It’s too soon to talk about who is chasing whom.
“We want to remain competitive and achieve our objectives at the end of the season. That’s all we can talk about right now.”
