Inter boss Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that Radja Nainggolan is in contention to face Empoli on Saturday after serving a one-match ban for a breach of club rules.
Nainggolan sat out Wednesday's 1-0 Serie A victory over Napoli for what the club described as "disciplinary reasons".
The Belgian midfielder only joined Inter in June from Roma in a deal reported to be worth €38million plus Nicolo Zaniolo, though he has failed to live up to expectations.
Nainggolan has scored two goals in 11 Serie A outings, with Inter currently sitting third in the table.
But Spalletti said on Friday that the 30-year-old will be assessed in training and could make his return for the trip to Empoli.
"He's back available and I will evaluate him in training today. He'll be in consideration like all of the others," the Inter coach told a news conference.
| : "? He's back available and I will evaluate him in training today. He'll be in consideration like all of the others." December 28, 2018
Speaking after Wednesday's win, Spalletti had told Sky Sport Italia: "There are rules in the locker room that are set at the start of the season.
"I don't create trouble for the sake of it. I have to ensure the rules are respected for the good of everyone. Rules are as fundamental as the ball in this sport.
"Nainggolan was only kept out for this game, as a principle, and also has a fine. Players have plenty of money, so they don't mind paying fines, but being dropped makes an impact.
"It's not that Nainggolan let me down. He simply had some behaviour that was not okay."
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