Inter's English contingent still waiting to make an impact
Djed Spence struggled in his first Inter start, while John Stones, Curtis Jones and Benjamin Pavard remain sidelined as Cristian Chivu waits for his squad to take shape.
Three months into their Inter careers, none of the club's English signings have managed to establish themselves, and the Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk did little to change that picture, according to Football Italia.
Djed Spence, who joined from Tottenham for €35 million in the summer, made his first start for the club in that Wednesday fixture, a 1-0 victory. He lasted until the 59th minute before being substituted, having played 88 minutes in total across his Inter appearances so far.
Spence has featured three times in all competitions this season, twice in the Champions League and once in Serie A, having missed the opening six games of the campaign as he built up match fitness after the move.
Why Chivu picked Spence and what went missing
Cristian Chivu explained his selection in specific tactical terms after the Shakhtar match, saying the plan was to use Spence's speed on the break and his cover against two quick, technically capable wide players. That is a role description built around transition defending: a wing-back or full-back asked to track opposition wide men in behind and then support attacks once possession is won.
Football Italia's sister outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reported that little of that profile showed up on the pitch, either in the Shakhtar game or across Spence's minutes more broadly. The gap between the brief Chivu set out and what was delivered is the most concrete evidence yet that Spence has not settled into the system.
That distinction matters for how Inter's management of the position should be read. A player can be tactically miscast, undercooked physically, or simply short of the specific attributes a system demands in the final third of the pitch; Chivu's quote suggests the plan was sound, which puts the onus on Spence himself to show the pace and defensive discipline the role requires.
Six missed matches at the start of a season, even without injury, are rarely made up in a handful of substitute and starting appearances. Match sharpness in a role that depends on repeated high-intensity sprints and reading opposition wide combinations is not something that returns instantly, and Inter's patience with Spence will be tested over the coming weeks as other options emerge from injury.
The return dates that will reshape the squad
John Stones and Curtis Jones remain further behind. Both are training separately from the group, and Gazzetta does not expect either back imminently. Jones, sidelined by a thigh injury, has missed Inter's last four fixtures across all competitions.
Inter hope the former Liverpool midfielder can rejoin training next week, with a possible return against Feyenoord in the Champions League on November 3. That timeline would still rule him out of three Serie A fixtures: against Fiorentina, Venezia and the derby with Milan, arguably the heaviest run of the three in terms of stakes.
Stones, meanwhile, is managing a hamstring problem and has missed Inter's last five matches. Gazzetta's report puts his expected return against Como on November 8, just ahead of the international break, which would mean a longer absence from first-team football than Jones.
Benjamin Pavard, an injured defender not part of the English group but sidelined at the same time, is expected back on a similar schedule to Jones, according to the report. That adds a further name to Inter's list of absentees in defence and midfield heading into a congested November.
What the timeline means for Chivu's planning
The derby against Milan is the clearest marker in this sequence. Jones' projected return against Feyenoord still leaves him short of that fixture, meaning Chivu will likely have to navigate one of the season's biggest matches without a midfielder signed to add control and composure in buildup play.
Stones' absence carries different weight. A central defender missing five matches disrupts partnerships and rotation options at the back rather than one specific game plan, and his later expected return date against Como suggests Inter are prioritising certainty over an earlier, riskier recovery.
Taken together, the picture Football Italia describes is of a summer rebuild still in progress rather than complete. Spence is available but unproven in the exact role Chivu designed for him, while Stones, Jones and Pavard remain outside full training. Inter's results have so far come without needing all three fit, but the fixture list in late October and November will ask harder questions of squad depth than the Shakhtar win did.