Mauro Icardi Posts Cryptic Quote on Instagram After Losing Inter Milan Captaincy

After being stripped of the Inter Milan captaincy, Mauro Icardi posted a cryptic message on Instagram on Thursday. 

It was announced on Wednesday that the forward would no longer wear the armband, with Samir Handanovic the new skipper. The decision only served to fuel speculation regarding Icardi's future, as he has yet to sign a contract extension at the San Siro.

Following the team's 1-0 win at Rapid Vienna in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, Icardi posted via social media:

As Ben Spratt of Goal relayed, Icardi wasn't included in the squad for Thursday's match, with the player hinting that he was injured on social media. Manager Luciano Spalletti had earlier told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Goal) that "Icardi was called up and has decided not to travel to Vienna."

Per Spratt, since Handanovic was made captain, both Spalletti and sporting director Piero Ausilio described the decision to relieve Icardi of his responsibility as "painful."

The situation is far from ideal for the Milan outfit, as Icardi has been the leader of the team and also their most prolific goalscorer for several years. Per BT Sport Football, he's been a notably productive player in his time at the club:

It's for that reason the club has been so keen to get him tied down to a new deal, which appears to have been the trigger for recent tensions.

Eurosport's Siavoush Fallahi noted that there's a sense of irony about what Icardi posted and was critical of the manner in which the player's wife and agent, Wanda Nara, has dealt with the situation:

Icardi's contract runs until 2021, so Inter are not under any immediate pressure to cash in.

Still, recent developments suggest all is not well for the striker at the San Siro, and you sense rumours regarding his future will ramp up between now and the end of the season. In the summer, it was reported by Jose Felix Diaz and David G. Medina of Marca that European champions Real Madrid were interested in the forward.

Losing Icardi would be a big blow given his goalscoring pedigree and previous affinity with the Nerazzurri, although Inter writer Nima Tavallaey said the club is more important than its former skipper:

While Inter have a number of talented players and an emerging young forward in Lautaro Martinez, the loss of Icardi would be a setback as they seek to push Juventus at the summit of Italian football.

Now all eyes will be on the San Siro on Sunday, when Inter take on Icardi's former side Sampdoria. If he's not in the squad again, eyebrows will be raised.