Aleksandar Stankovic has so far been a marginal figure in Inter’s Serie A minutes, but the club’s approach is one of timing rather than concern. Cristian Chivu has used the young midfielder for only 15 minutes across the opening five league rounds, an average of three per match, yet Inter remain convinced that his gradual introduction is the right course.
Stankovic’s patient return to Inter
Among the available outfield players in the Nerazzurri squad, Stankovic has been the least involved. Only the reserve goalkeepers and players yet to be fit have played less. That limited role does not alter Inter’s long-term view of the Serbian international, whose recent displays for his country have again shown his comfort on a significant stage.
After spending the previous two seasons on loan in Switzerland and Belgium, Stankovic is now adapting to a more physically demanding Serie A environment. The club expected that process to take time.
- Inter had no hesitation in activating their €23 million buy-back clause from Club Brugge.
- The Nerazzurri had received around €10 million when he left the previous summer.
- Stankovic is regarded as a player around whom Inter can shape part of their future midfield.
- His present lack of minutes is therefore being treated as managed development, rather than a warning over his place in the squad.
October offers Chivu a demanding rotation test
The next stretch should provide the opening Stankovic has been waiting for. Inter face seven matches in 21 days, effectively playing every three days, and Chivu intends to spread the workload across a squad that has not yet been fully called upon.
- Parma, following the international break
- Club Brugge in the Champions League
- Bologna away
- Shakhtar in the Champions League
- Fiorentina
- Venezia
- Milan in the derby
The sequence places domestic pressure alongside European commitments, with the trip to Bologna separating the two Champions League ties. For Inter, the month will be an early test of whether their depth can carry them through the first intense cycle of the campaign.
Minutes still to be earned across the squad
Stankovic is not the only player awaiting a larger role. Several experienced or newly arrived figures have had limited involvement in the first weeks, while others have appeared more regularly without yet establishing a permanent place in Chivu’s plans.
- Henrikh Mkhitaryan has played 62 minutes, all of them against Udinese in Serie A.
- Bonny has accumulated 68 minutes.
- Benjamin Pavard has played 118 minutes.
- Luis Henrique, Jones, Carlos Augusto and Sucic have featured more than the first group, but each is still waiting for the moment that can change his standing.
Chivu’s selection management in October will therefore extend beyond Stankovic. The coach has a number of players who have been preserved, eased back or simply kept in reserve while the first choices settled into the season.
Provedel and Spence approach their opportunity
Two summer arrivals are still waiting for their first appearance under Chivu: Ivan Provedel and Djed Spence. Provedel, formerly of Lazio, has remained on the bench behind Martinez. When the Spanish goalkeeper went through a difficult moment, Chivu chose to maintain his trust in him rather than make an immediate change.
Provedel is nevertheless expected to make his Inter debut during October. Spence, meanwhile, has overcome the physical issues carried from a World Cup in which he played a prominent part. The English wide player is ready to compete with Diouf for a place on the right flank.
With the squad approaching full fitness and a crowded programme ahead, Inter’s next chapter will not be shaped only by their established starters. It may also be the month in which Stankovic and the other peripheral figures become part of Chivu’s solution.
