Inter have been dealt a fresh injury blow after the club confirmed on Friday that Luis Henrique has strained the adductor longus in his left thigh, with reports in Italy saying the Brazilian wing-back will be sidelined until the next international break in November.
The 24-year-old reported for medical tests in Rozzano on Friday morning, and Inter's statement confirmed the strain. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, reported by Football Italia, the injury is expected to keep Luis Henrique out until the international break, which begins on November 9, with LiveScore also carrying the club's confirmation on Friday.
A run of big games he will miss
The timing could hardly be worse for Cristian Chivu. Luis Henrique is set to miss Serie A games against Fiorentina, Venezia, Milan and Como, as well as the Champions League trip to the Netherlands to face Feyenoord.
The Milan fixture is the one that stings most. Missing a derby is hard for any player, but for a wing-back still establishing himself at San Siro, it removes the biggest stage on which he could have made his case as a starter rather than a rotation option.
Luis Henrique has made six appearances across all competitions so far in 2026-27, including two starts in Serie A and an appearance off the bench against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League earlier this week, in a game Inter won 1-0.
Who steps in on the right?
Football Italia reports that Andy Diouf and Djed Spence will be Chivu's go-to options at right wing-back for the coming weeks. That is a workable short-term answer, but it is not the same as having a natural, fit first choice available for a run that includes a derby and a European away night.
Spence offers energy and one-v-one defending, while Diouf gives Chivu a more conservative option. Neither, though, removes the underlying problem: Inter are now one more injury away from a genuine crisis on that flank, with five demanding fixtures to navigate before the break offers any relief.
So what does this mean for Inter?
This is where squad depth stops being a talking point and becomes the season. Inter's system leans heavily on its wing-backs for width, pressing intensity and chance creation, so losing a rotation piece for a month still changes how Chivu can manage minutes on both flanks, not just the right.
If Diouf and Spence come through the run unscathed, this becomes a footnote. If either breaks down, or if performances dip in the derby or in Rotterdam, a seemingly minor thigh strain will be remembered as the moment Inter's autumn started to wobble. The November break, and Luis Henrique's return straight after it, cannot come soon enough.
Beyond the Final Whistle: A one-month absence for a squad player should never feel this significant — the fact that it does tells you how thin Inter's margin is at wing-back. Chivu does not need Diouf or Spence to be brilliant over the next five games; he needs them to be available, disciplined and still standing when the derby is done. Survive this stretch, and Inter's season stays on track. Can Chivu's side get through the Milan derby and the trip to Feyenoord without their right flank costing them points?
