Napoli’s season has acquired another unwelcome medical chapter, with Antonio Vergara sidelined by a soleus problem just as the young midfielder had begun to enjoy his moment around the national team.
The decision
Vergara has been removed from Napoli’s options after suffering an injury to the soleus muscle in his calf. The setback is expected to keep him out of the selection battle for the next nine matches, although the eventual absence could be shorter.
It is an especially frustrating interruption for a player who had recently tasted the attention of the senior international environment under Roberto Mancini. His progress had begun to place him closer to the first-team conversation at club level, but he must now join a crowded treatment room at Castel Volturno.
The soleus has become a familiar concern in Naples after appearing repeatedly in previous injury reports. This time, it arrives in a squad already dealing with a succession of physical problems across the summer and opening three months of the campaign.
Napoli’s recent list has included adductor complaints, a medial ligament injury in the right knee, muscle fatigue, rectus femoris and obturator issues, an inguinal hernia, a myofascial injury and even a benign arrhythmia. Alessandro Buongiorno has also been recovering from surgery on a meniscus root, while Marianucci encountered his own setback during the Castel di Sangro training period, echoing Romelu Lukaku’s August 2025 injury.
There has been another blow from international duty. Mathias Olivera sustained an injury with Uruguay, further reducing the resources on the left side. Leonardo Spinazzola’s availability therefore becomes more important, particularly after his recent return to gym work.
Massimiliano Allegri had been able to take encouragement from Rasmus Hojlund’s goals and Kevin De Bruyne’s performances. Yet the squad calculation has quickly changed again, with each new absence narrowing the coach’s choices and forcing Napoli to manage a demanding calendar with patience rather than certainty.
The volume of injuries has inevitably brought scrutiny towards training and medical work, including discussion of Antonio Conte’s previous two-year spell. But the continuing problems underline a broader reality of a season in which frequent matches, travel and international commitments can leave little margin for recovery. For Napoli, Vergara’s absence is another reminder that the campaign is being shaped as much by availability as by form.
