Napoli: soleus strain for Vergara, how long he's out and who fills in

Antonio Vergara is set for a spell on the sidelines. Scans carried out today at Pineta Grande Hospital confirmed a moderate strain of the right soleus, the calf muscle the Napoli midfielder felt pull in the closing stages of Italy's 3-1 Nations League win over Turkey in Bologna. Vergara had gone off in the 83rd minute after a display Tuttosport rated among the standout performances of the night: his was the assist for Scamacca's opening goal, the product of a move built entirely down Napoli's own right flank.

Two timelines are on the table for his return. The more optimistic one points to around three weeks, which would put him back in contention by the end of October. Corriere dello Sport considers a longer stretch more likely, closer to a full month, pushing his return to full training past November's international break. Either way, a packed run of fixtures is now at risk: Napoli are already without him for Saturday's clash with Frosinone at the Maradona, then in the Champions League against Villarreal, and across further league and cup matches against Venezia, Roma, Monza, Juventus and Lazio.

It is a heavy blow for Napoli, who lose one of their sharpest performers of the early season: after carving out regular minutes across league and cup football, Vergara had also earned his first call-up to the national team, featuring against both France and Turkey before the injury struck.

For fantacalcio managers who own him, the absence hits a player our price list values at 10 credits, in a bracket where a strong rating earns an extra bonus: Vergara had already shown as much since the start of the season, moving steadily upward with every price update. Until he is back, the other Napoli midfielders are the ones to watch: McTominay remains the top alternative on paper, with De Bruyne and Politano both in line for more minutes while the Italy international recovers.

Calciomercato.com, which tracked his exit from the pitch minute by minute, had already flagged that the issue looked more serious than a simple cramp, though without being able to offer a diagnosis before the tests were run: a cautious read that today's scans have unfortunately confirmed at its worst. What remains to be seen over the coming weeks is whether the recovery follows the better-case timeline or the more cautious one set out by the club, and whether Vergara can still be ready for the final push before the November break.