Mancini’s injury: how he is and when he might return – his condition, Gasperini’s comments and who could play in his place against Roma

One of the standout players in the match was Roma defender Gianluca Mancini, who was substituted due to injury at the start of the second half: Ghilardi came on in his place, but after Mancini’s departure the Giallorossi collapsed and Inter stepped up a gear. In the coming hours, the Giallorossi centre-back will undergo specific tests to assess the extent of the injury and, above all, the recovery time; but whilst awaiting further details, Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini spoke about his defender’s condition in his post-match comments: “Mancini is an important player for us and when we have a full squad we are certainly more competitive.”

Should Mancini be ruled out of Roma’s upcoming matches, the Giallorossi would lose a key player, particularly in terms of character and leadership. In that case, the manager would need to find a new defender to replace him, and the main candidate could well be Ghilardi, who has already filled his role at San Siro; the alternative could be the Polish player Ziolkowski, who has played in every position in Gasperini’s three-man defence. Celik has also been deployed on the right flank on several occasions; he could be an option, but this would likely only be the case if Wesley recovers in time to play on the wing.