It appears as if the Italian will be overlooked, with the tactician opting to play the tried-and-tested partnership of Eder and Luis Muriel up front instead.

With the decision to keep Cassano out of the first team setup, it could prompt the unwelcome return of the striker's personality, the same personality that had caused countless problems at a number of clubs.

The apparent relationship between player and coach has never really taken off, appearing rather forced between the two. Walter Zenga reportedly wanted nothing to do with Fantantonio, hinting that the former Parma player was never part of his project when he replaced the Milan-bound Sinisa Mihajlovic at the helm.

Zenga seemed to be sticking to his plans today, excluding Cassano from a training exercise in preparation for the weekend match against Fiorentina.