Italian national team star Lorenzo Insigne potential TFC debut pushed back to July 23

Fans hoping to see Italian national team star Lorenzo Insigne make his debut for Toronto FC this weekend will have to wait.

Speaking to media from the BMO Training Grounds on Wednesday afternoon, Bob Bradley informed reporters that Insigne is still dealing with a lingering calf issue that he sustained while on international duty with Italy in June.

“Lorenzo, in the periods now that he’s been on the field, there’s been discomfort [in his calf]. He’s been taken off the field,” said Bradley. “There’s been a discussion, we’ve looked back at everything from Napoli, and we continue to assess what we see day-in and day-out. My guess is that it’s going to take him a few weeks to get ready.”

According to Bradley, the team is targeting Saturday, July 23 against Charlotte FC at BMO Field for Insigne’s highly-anticipated debut, though the TFC head coach and sporting director notes that it’s not official.

“There’s always hope that things can move faster,” said Bradley. “I’ve been very straight forward that we needed to make sure that when he arrived how he was feeling … he’s off the field right now and we’re trying to formulate a really good plan so that obviously we can get him healthy and fit on the field, but also on the field so that once he’s there, he’s staying there.”

Toronto FC have invested a ton of money – and five years – into Insigne, and they want to make sure their new star is 100 per cent healthy. Insigne will reportedly make roughly $15 million (U.S.) annually in salary, almost twice the amount that the league’s current highest-paid player, Xherdan Shaqiri of the Chicago Fire, makes ($8.2 million, according to Major League Soccer’s Players Association). The 31-year-old winger will have far and away the largest salary in league history, with his annual salary likely to be more than the payroll for all but a handful of MLS clubs in 2022.

READ MORE: ‘The best is in front of us right now’: Lorenzo Insigne officially unveiled as a Toronto FC player

“It’s, again, essential that we get this right,” said Bradley. “The hope was that when he got here and now got on the field a little bit, that the calf injury … would be ready to go, but both times that he got on the field, there was still some discomfort so we have to make sure that we get this right.”

Toronto FC fans attending BMO Field for Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes will miss out on Insigne, but may catch the debut of former Italian international Domenico Criscito, who officially joined TFC last week. The 35-year-old former Genoa CFC, Football Club Zenit (Zenit), and Juventus defender was signed to a TAM contract through 2023 and will be eligible to debut this weekend.

“Criscito has been in training,” said Bradley. “It’s the first days of now physically pushing things again after some time off, but he’s arrived in good shape, and he will be available for the game. Today was a harder day of training and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and what that means.”

READ MORE: Sources: Toronto FC to trade Alejandro Pozuelo to Inter Miami, sign Italian international Federico Bernardeschi

Furthermore, amid plenty of speculation, Bradley confirmed that designated player defender Carlos Salcedo would also be available for Saturday’s match, with the Mexican international returning home to tend to a family emergency in recent days.

There’s been plenty of speculation about Salcedo’s future with Toronto FC, but Bradley reiterated that the family matter is not affecting his enjoyment of being in Toronto.

“No, look when Carlos is here, he’s in a good frame of mind,” said Bradley. “He’s good in the group, I’ve said that from the beginning. There’s never an issue when he’s here, just with the family situation it’s balancing, balancing everything.”

On another note, Toronto FC are expected to announce the trade of Alejandro Pozuelo to Inter Miami on Wednesday. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, the Spanish playmaker is being shipped to an Eastern Conference rival for only a reported $150,000 in General Allocation Money, but the TFC free up a coveted designated player spot, which they will use to sign former Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi on a free transfer, per sources.

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