Milan Skriniar is set for an extended period on the sidelines after Inter Milan announced on Thursday that the Slovakia centre-back had undergone spinal surgery that could well mean the end of his Inter career.In a statement, the Italian club said Skriniar underwent “endoscopic surgery on his lumbar spine” on Wednesday in France. The defender will follow a rehabilitation program in the coming weeks, risking a lay-off that could see him miss the rest of the season as the Italian club try to win the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2010.The last time the former Sampdoria defender was able play was a 10-minute substitute appearance against Porto in the second leg of the round of last 16 in the UCL last month. Slovakian national team’s medical staff diagnosed the problem as “damage to an intervertebral disc,” whilst Inter’s doctors believed Skriniar’s state of being better than it was.##NAJAVA_MECA_7190669##Skriniar posted a photo from the hospital bed, thanking the supporters for their support and his soon-to-be-former teammates for edging past Benfica on Wednesday night.”I want to send a hug to my teammates and thank them for the wonderful qualification for the semi-final of the Champions League and reassure everyone about my condition after the injury suffered in the first leg against Porto.”#Skriniar: “Voglio mandare un abbraccio ai miei compagni e ringraziarli per la bellissima qualificazione alla semifinale di Champions e rassicurare tutti sulle mie condizioni dopo l’infortunio subito nella partita d’andata contro il Porto. Ieri, d’accordo con l’Inter, mi sono… pic.twitter.com/78XkxfR5l8— Daniele Mari (@marifcinter) April 20, 2023 The 28-year-old Slovakian international has been a target for wealthy clubs around Europe for some time, but Inter wouldn’t sell their first-choice centre-back, choosing instead to keep him in the last year of his contract and try to convince him to sign a new one. The gamble didn’t work out because he decided not to sign anything and let his deal run out. He’s been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain, and the French club remains the favourite to land the proven defender. The absurdity of modern football: Skriniar gets more just for the signing bonus with PSG than he earned in his entire career?!Last month, Skriniar underwent a medical check-up with a doctor close to PSG. Inter directors saw that as a betrayal as the Parisians continued tightening their grip on the guy wearing the famous black and blue stripes since July 2017. After six years at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, it looks like it’s time to say goodbye.Inter, meanwhile, will lose the player without receiving a transfer fee and will have to do without him in the make-or-break clashes with rivals AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.