Torino on edge: Fortini sidelined with thigh muscle scare

Niccolò Fortini is sidelined, and neither Torino nor Italy's Under-21 side are happy about it. The 2005-born full-back, on loan from Fiorentina with a buy option set at 9.5 million, suffered right thigh discomfort on the night the Azzurrini beat Armenia, coming on in the second half. The problem surfaced right at the end of the match and forced him to leave the Tirrenia training camp early, alongside teammate Costantino Favasuli, who also went back to his club after a medical check.

Fortini will now miss Monday's decisive match against Poland, which decides the group's top spot and a direct ticket to the Under-21 Euros. The coming days will bring the scans that determine how serious the problem is and, above all, how long recovery will take. The player is hoping it is just mild strain, avoiding anything more serious that would keep him out for several weeks.

The worry at Torino is real because Fortini has carved out a starting role in just a few months: since arriving mid-season, Ignazio Abate has started him in every match except the opener against Milan, using him on both flanks even though the coach prefers him on the left. Now Torino, back in action on Monday the 12th against Udinese, may have to plan without certainty until after the scans.

For anyone who owns him, that is exactly the situation to watch: Fortini carries a low price, 1 in the 1-10 band, where a high rating earns a bonus of +2, the classic late-auction gamble that has already paid off with steady minutes this season. A long layoff would push him back out of the side and point to the alternatives on Torino's flanks: in the same department there is also Vlašić, priced at 14, and Mandragora, at 11, both more central midfielders who can fill in for a flexible setup, plus Cacciamani (9) as the more direct backup out wide.

Until the scan results come in, the advice is to wait: an overload-type strain can clear up in a few days, but the area involved, the right thigh, is also where longer injuries sometimes hide. Anyone setting a lineup for the next Serie A matchday should keep a backup ready, without dropping him just yet: the final word will only come with the scans, in the next few days.