Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar has undergone spinal surgery just three weeks before his side’s Champions League semi-final first leg — but says he will only need a “brief period of rehabilitation” before returning to action.

Inter beat Benfica 5-3 on aggregate to set up a semi-final against city rivals AC Milan, with Skriniar facing a race against time to be fit. The first leg of that tie comes on May 10, with the reverse fixture six days later.

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Skriniar, though, has not played for Inter since early March after sustaining a back issue. The Slovakian missed three Serie A matches with a lumbar issue before playing the last 10 minutes of the goalless draw with Porto on March 3. He has not featured since.

An Inter statement on Thursday confirmed that Skriniar underwent “endoscopic surgery on his lumbar spine” at a clinic in France on Wednesday.

Skriniar has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with his contract at Inter expiring this summer.

And the clinic in Merignac where he had his surgery is the same place that PSG’s head of medicine, Christophe Baudot, practises, per the centre’s website.

“I want to hug my team-mates and thank them for the wonderful qualification for the semi-final of the Champions League,” Skriniar posted on Instagram. “I also want to reassure everyone about my condition after the injury suffered in the first leg against Porto.

“Yesterday, in agreement with Inter, I underwent an operation to be able to return to the field as soon as possible. A brief rehabilitation will follow in order to be able to resume a competitive activity.”

Skriniar has been a key player for Inter since his arrival from Sampdoria in 2017. The 28-year-old has made 246 appearances for the Italian club, and was a key part of Antonio Conte’s title-winning side in 2020-21.

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(Photo: Getty Images)