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'Unacceptable and offensive' - Inter slam Chile coach Rueda over Sanchez claims

Inter have issued a statement hitting back at Chile coach Reinaldo Rueda, who claimed the Nerazzurri have overworked Alexis Sanchez.

The Serie A club have become embroiled in a spat with Chile over Sanchez, with the club believing their players should not be involved in international action during the coronavirus pandemic.

Inter claim that international fixtures put their star men at further risk of injury amid a congested fixture schedule this season.

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Chile face Peru and Venezuela in 2022 World Cup qualifiers over the course of this international break, with Sanchez – who has clocked up just 251 minutes in all competitions for Inter this term – a key part of their side.

Rueda accused the Nerazzurri of showing a lack of respect regarding the matter, but the Serie A giants have now responded in fiery fashion as they look to defend themselves from the allegations. 

"FC Internazionale Milano consider the recent remarks stated by Reinaldo Rueda, the head coach of the Chile national team, to be unacceptable, offensive, and inaccurate," a club statement read.

"The club has always had maximum collaboration and excellent relations with all the staff of the national teams.

"Specifically, in the case of Alexis Sanchez, the player has encountered a physical problem in almost all of his call-ups to his national team. In one of them he suffered a serious injury that kept him off the pitch for three months. This represented a serious sporting damage for the club, which has always been attentive and astute to the health of its players." 

Speaking at his press conference on Thursday, Rueda revealed Sanchez was under an injury cloud and suggested Chile's medical staff would take better care of him than Inter. 

"This medical staff takes care of him, and will do it better and better...we will not risk it," Rueda said.

"With all respect for the European institutions, I would like them to respect our doctors. If I can feel proud of something, it is of the medical team of this national team. It is of a high level.

"We have to respect each other in a bidirectional way. We are no longer in the colonial era, this is what they believe, we must be clear about this." 

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