Gabriel Barbosa's future at Inter Milan continues to look uncertain after Stefano Pioli revealed he isn't the only option to replace the suspended Mauro Icardi.
The Inter captain is set for a spell on the sidelines after he was handed a two-match ban for kicking the ball at the referee during Inter's 1-0 defeat to Juventus last Saturday, and many supporters had predicted that summer recruit Barbosa was now in line to show if he is capable of leading their attack.
However, in quotes published by ESPN, Pioli hinted that he could turn to other options ahead of 'Gabigol' - a move that would further increase speculation over the striker's role at the club.
Pioli said: "We will see (if Barboas starts). We can play with a traditional centre-forward or with a more mobile player.
"Eder and Palacio both have great movement, for example. It depends on the game and how our opponents set up. I will decide on our lineup over the next day or so."
Barbosa only moved to the San Siro in August of last year, but he has already found life extremely difficult in Italy just six months into his career in Europe.
Gabigol only one option to replace Mauro Icardi for Inter - Stefano Pioli https://t.co/x2goNBl7Te pic.twitter.com/IusVVtUiEd
The 20-year-old has featured just five times for Inter this season, with none of those appearances coming from the start, as he struggles to adapt to the cultural aspects on the other side of the Atlantic to his homeland.
Big things had been expected of the ex-Santos wonderkid following his arrival in Serie A, but it now remains to be seen whether he will stay at the club beyond the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
Away from speculation over Barbosa's involvement, Pioli also stated that his players had gotten over their loss to Juventus last weekend, and were now fully focused on taking their frustrations out on Empoli.
I Nerazzurri also saw Ivan Perisic sent off as tempers boiled over at the Juventus stadium, but the 54-year-old Piolo added that he had no issues over his players' lack of discipline ahead of Sunday's league encounter with their Serie A rivals.
He said: "I have already said what I had to say about the match last Sunday. The lads have cut themselves off from everything that has gone on this week.
"It is not the first time we have seen something like this when big clubs are involved. Since Monday we have been focused on nothing but Empoli.
"This game against Empoli is really important. We must be fired up for it and switched on if we want to start winning again and go on another run.
"We can decide our own fate -- there are 15 matches left to play and we must win a lot of them if we want to finish in the top three. There is not much difference between us and the sides at the very top.
"Defeats hurt but it is precisely when you lose a game that you need to show your togetherness. I expect to see a reaction."
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