Inter’s Coach Downplays Keita Diao’s Handshake Snub

Inter Milan’s gaffer Luciano Spalletti has played down claims winger Keita Balde Diao blatantly refused to shake his hand in the aftermath of the 2-1 win over Fiorentina.

The Senegalese forward climbed off the substitutes’ bench in the 68^th minute in that duel, replacing the tired legs of Vecino.

While the win – Nerrazurri’s third in six outings – sees the San Siro outfit climb to fifth in the Serie A, the 23-year-old isn’t receptive of the bit-part roles accorded to him and, in a show of anger, reportedly refused to accept his coach Matteo’s after-match routine to compliment players.

Posed with the question, Luciano said he had to rotate players and sees no qualms in it.

“I wanted to explain to Keita Baldé and Matteo Politano that they had to carry a little more ball because when they did, it allowed us to breathe. In the cloakroom, it happens sometimes to shift between players,” the 59-year-old said.

The former Barcelona wing-wizard joined Inter from French side Monaco for a fee believed to be in excess of €30m.

His umbrage is linked to the mere two times he’d been fielded as a starter in six matches since his arrival in June.