Inter return from the international break with one question at the front of the side: whether Ange-Yoan Bonny may finally begin a match alongside Marcus Thuram. It is an option that has gathered weight in recent days, not as a revolution but as part of the management required by a demanding month.
The coach and the club
Bonny is the only one of Inter’s four forwards yet to start under Cristian Chivu. His contribution has so far come from the bench, with appearances after the interval against Monza, Napoli, Udinese, Roma and Real Madrid. His goal at Udinese remains his sole strike for the Nerazzurri, while he was unused only in the second league match at Cagliari.
The coming Serie A fixture could offer a particularly meaningful first start. Inter are due to face Parma, the club that brought Bonny into Italian football and where he scored 15 goals across Serie B and Serie A. Six of those came during the 2024-25 campaign, his most productive season.
Bonny also arrived back after involvement with Ivory Coast during the break. Hervé Renard selected him from the start against Ghana, when he played 72 minutes, left him on the bench throughout the Somalia match, and introduced him at the start of the second half in the defeat to Cameroon. He did not score in that game.
Lautaro’s return and the calendar ahead
The other consideration is Lautaro Martinez. Inter’s captain was the last of the club’s international players to return to Appiano Gentile after travelling with Argentina, having started each of the Albiceleste’s three friendlies.
He scored against Bolivia and then struck again against Burkina Faso, where he also supplied two assists. Those goals moved him into third place on Argentina’s all-time scoring list, behind Lionel Messi and Gabriel Batistuta. Against Benin, in Messi’s farewell match, Argentina’s decisive moments instead belonged to Nico Paz, who scored with a curling left-footed effort, and to Messi from the penalty spot.
Lautaro’s readiness to play has long been part of his profile at Inter. The captain’s armband, his attachment to the club and his appetite for responsibility usually make him available even after long intercontinental journeys.
Yet the schedule gives Chivu reason to consider Bonny from the outset. Inter have seven matches to play in 21 days across Serie A and the Champions League, with the meeting with Club Brugge also approaching. Rotation in attack is therefore likely to become a practical necessity, and Bonny’s chance may arrive against the club where his Italian story began.
