Alex Meret is closing in on a return that could restore a familiar order at Napoli. The goalkeeper is expected back in full training this week and is targeting a starting place for Saturday’s home meeting with Frosinone at the Maradona.
His absence has come at an awkward point in the season, just as he had re-established himself as the first choice under Massimiliano Allegri. A low-grade injury to the long adductor in his left thigh, sustained against Arsenal on 9 September, forced him off after an impressive first half and opened the door for Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Quick facts
- Meret is working towards starting against Frosinone on Saturday.
- He missed Napoli’s matches against Bologna and Fiorentina.
- The injury was suffered in the Arsenal match on 9 September.
- Meret has made 228 appearances for Napoli since joining in 2018.
- His current Napoli contract expires in June.
Milinkovic-Savic stepped in for the two league fixtures Meret could not play, but the Italian’s recovery now points towards another change between the posts. If his return proceeds without complications, he is set to reclaim the shirt he had held at the start of the campaign.
It has been a significant shift from last season. Meret had been behind Milinkovic-Savic after Antonio Conte altered the goalkeeping hierarchy, with fitness concerns also affecting his year. Allegri made his own position clear during the summer, describing one goalkeeper as the starter and the other as his alternative, before backing Meret from the Genoa match onwards.
That trust was rewarded before the setback. Meret produced a series of notable saves at the Maradona in the Champions League encounter with Arsenal, only for the muscle problem to interrupt his momentum.
Now one of the longest-serving members of Napoli’s squad, Meret has two Scudetti in his time at the club and has been part of the group since 2018. His immediate task is straightforward: regain the place and turn a promising beginning into a sustained season.
There is also a decision waiting beyond the next run of fixtures. Meret signed a two-year extension last summer, but that deal runs out in June, and Napoli are expected to discuss his position with his representative before the end of the year.
No talks have yet taken place over a further renewal or a possible departure after nine seasons. For the moment, both player and club have more pressing business on the pitch. Saturday against Frosinone could be the first step in Meret’s return to the centre of Napoli’s campaign.
