Montella: ‘Calhanoglu most important, but worried about Kenan Yildiz’ | OneFootball

Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella thanks Inter for letting ‘most important’ Hakan Calhanoglu leave early ahead of the World Cup, but admits they are ‘worried’ about Juventus talent Kenan Yildiz.

Italian tactician Montella was in attendance this evening at the Europa League Final between Freiburg and Aston Villa, which is being hosted in Istanbul.

He spoke to Sky Sport Italia and commented on preparations for the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada this summer.

Montella preparing Turkiye for World Cup

DORTMUND, GERMANY – JUNE 18: Vincenzo Montella, Head Coach of Turkiye, gestures during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Turkiye and Georgia at Football Stadium Dortmund on June 18, 2024 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

“The World Cup is a brief tournament, so it’s all about your form when you get there,” said Montella.

“Incidents can be decisive, but that is true both for the underdogs and the favourites for the trophy. Our objective is to get through the group stage, but we know that anything can happen in a one-off match.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm and confidence, but we mustn’t let it slip over into euphoria.”

The most talented young player in the squad is Kenan Yildiz, who has performed well at Juventus overall since taking the iconic Number 10 jersey, but has been struggling with fitness issues.

He has had a recurring inflammation that made it difficult for him to train regularly.

Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella is seen prior to the friendly football match between Hungary and Turkey in Budapest, Hungary, on March 22, 2024. (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP) (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)

“Yildiz is 21 years old and I hope for his sake it will be the first of many World Cup adventures,” said Montella.

“He had a few problems in his knee over the last couple of months that do not allow him to train at 100 per cent. I hope he can make a full recovery, we are a little bit worried about him, but he’s certainly not short on enthusiasm.”

Inter midfielder Calhanoglu also had recent injury concerns, so with the Scudetto and Coppa Italia already won, his club decided to let him leave a week early for international duty.

“I found out that he arrived in Istanbul today, so I thank Inter and the player, who will allow us to work with him from Friday. I hope he can rediscover the ideal form to play in the World Cup.

“Calhanoglu is one of our most important players, probably the most important.”

Inter have decided to let all the players going to the World Cup have an extra week off, so they won’t be involved in the final game of the season.