Insigne suffers ‘lower leg muscle’ injury but will continue representing Italy

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The news about 5-foot-4 Italian dynamo Lorenzo Insigne is short, but not so sweet for Toronto FC.

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According to a TFC source, the injury Insigne suffered this week prior to Wednesday’s Finalissima at Wembley Stadium (a new ‘Super Cup’ game contested by the winners of the UEFA European Championship and the Copa America) was an injured lower leg muscle. The incoming TFC player was pulled from the Finalissima for “precautionary” reasons. TFC management, of course, is very concerned about any knock the Italy winger might get as he is set to join the Reds in less than a month, after signing a four-year contract with Toronto, said to be worth close to $45 million.

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According to Corriere dello Sport, ‘The Insigne family continues to prepare for the transfer to Canada: the contract with (Napoli) will officially expire on June 30 and he will be free to play with his new team from July 1, but the departure for Toronto will take place on June 24 after a short vacation.’ The Reds host Seattle at BMO Field on July 2.

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Meanwhile, according to reports out of Europe, the 30-year-old Insigne told Italian national team coach Roberto Mancini that he will remain available for the national side while playing at TFC – despite earlier reports this year that said his international career was over and that TFC wouldn’t have to worry about losing him for national team games.

“I am not retiring from the national side,” Insigne said at a recent press conference. “Even if I’m going to other side of the world (Toronto), I have told Mancini I’m available. I’m very tied to this shirt.”
TFC president Bill Manning has no issues with that.

“Of course we support him to continue to be a big part of the Azzurri,” Manning said. “We view National Team duty as an honour for these guys and always are supportive of our players in this regard.”

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Prior to the Finalissima this week, Insigne unveiled a tattoo of Argentine great Diego Maradona on his leg. Insigne got the tattoo following Maradona’s death. Napoli’s stadium was also renamed after Maradona.

TFC will meet Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday night for the 2020 Canadian Championship title, a match that has been postponed for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Reds have won the Voyageurs Cup a record seven times and have two chances to do it this year. There’s the 2020 final and, as well, TFC will face CF Montreal in this year’s Canadian Championship semi-final. The semi will be held at BMO Field on June 22. The final will be played in July.

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