Inter confirm Arturo Vidal will undergo knee surgery in injury update
By Ross Jackson
Inter have confirmed Arturo Vidal will undergo surgery on Friday in an attempt to treat meniscal pain in his left knee.
The club have yet to provide a timescale on just how long the midfielder could be sidelined for following the operation, though early reports suggest he could be out for up to a month.
Should said prediction prove to be accurate, Vidal would miss four Serie A outings as Inter look to secure their first Scudetto in over a decade, with trips to Torino and Bologna on the horizon as well as home clashes with Sassuolo and Cagliari.
The club took to their official website to announce the news, but they stopped short of providing any further details beyond the fact he would undergo the procedure, simply writing: "Tomorrow, Arturo Vidal will undergo surgery at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano for meniscal pain in his left knee."
Vidal has failed to cement his place in Antonio Conte's starting XI this season following his move from Barcelona last summer.
The Chile international has been afforded just 14 starts in Serie A and has found himself being limited to brief cameo roles from the bench at times over recent weeks.
Christian Eriksen's recent return to the starting XI has meant Vidal has found himself on the fringes of first-team action, though the former Barcelona man did play from the off in Inter's 1-0 win over Atalanta on Monday night.
However, he was hauled off shortly after half-time in place of the Denmark international and a prolonged spell on the sidelines could see him slip further down the pecking order in the Inter midfield.
The Nerazzurri are currently six points ahead of their nearest challengers AC Milan in the race for the Serie A crown with just 12 games of the season remaining.