Inter midfielder Nainggolan makes emotional return to Cagliari

Cagliari have announced the arrival of Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan on a season-long loan deal.

Nainggoaln has been pushed to the fringes by new Inter head coach Antonio Conte this summer and told he has no future at the club, though a return to former club Cagliari comes as something of a shock.

Inter only signed Nainggolan from league rivals Roma last summer and sacrificed highly rated Nicolo Zaniolo in order to get a deal over the line.

The former Belgium international fell well short of expectations at Inter last season and struggled to stay fit for prolonged periods.

Nainggolan was limited to just 22 league starts last season and he was subbed off in half of those appearances.

Nevertheless, no player has made more accurate through balls than the 31-year-old over the last three Serie A campaigns (22).

There will be no agreed fee at the end of the loan deal, with Nainggolan opting to return to Sardinia rather than a move to Fiorentina in order to support his wife, who is from the region and is currently battling cancer.