Lautaro Martinez Set for Month Out as Inter Milan Suffer Major Injury Blow

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez will be out for at least a month after hurting his left hamstring in the 4-3 Champions League defeat to Club Brugge at San Siro.

The club confirmed the news in a statement, saying "tests revealed a strain in his left hamstring." Martinez scored twice in the game before picking up the injury.

The 29-year-old is not expected back until after the November international break. Sky Sport Italia reports he will miss seven games in all competitions, including Serie A matches against Bologna and Fiorentina and Champions League ties with Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord. He will also miss the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan on October 31 and cannot join Lionel Scaloni's Argentina squad.

Doctors at the Humanitas Institute in Rozzano will keep a close eye on his recovery. The tentative return date is the away game at Atalanta on November 22, which would leave him just in time for the home match against Stuttgart three days later.

The timing is bad for head coach Cristian Chivu. Martinez has scored four Serie A goals this season and has missed only one game so far, when he was an unused substitute in the win over Udinese in September. 

He has also scored twice against Napoli and twice against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. His partnership with Marcus Thuram has been key to breaking down tight defences, and his pressing from the front helps the team's shape.

Inter travel to Bologna on Saturday without their main goal threat, starting a tough run of fixtures.