Polish defender Sebastian Walukiewicz has returned to training with Serie A club Sassuolo following a summer procedure on a painful thigh injury. The 26-year-old center-back missed the end of last season with a severe thigh bruise and sat out pre-season friendlies as well as a recent Coppa Italia fixture, but is now working his way back into contention.
His return is unlikely to come in time for Sassuolo's opening Italian league match, ruling out an on-pitch meeting with fellow Polish defender Nicola Zalewski. However, regaining a starting position in the side may not prove difficult given the defensive shortage facing new manager Alberto Aquilani.
Defensive crisis at Sassuolo
Aquilani stated during pre-season preparation that he had virtually no established first-team defenders available for practice. Two primary central defenders were sold during the summer transfer window, two others are sidelined with injuries, and another player remains subject to transfer speculation linking him with Paris Saint-Germain.
The squad currently retains only two center-backs with established Serie A experience. On the right side of defense, the primary contender for the role possesses just 11 career appearances in Italy's top division, leaving Aquilani eager for Walukiewicz to complete his full recovery.
Summer managerial changes have added further questions regarding how Walukiewicz will be deployed. At his former club Catanzaro in the second division, Aquilani favored a tactical formation utilizing three central defenders. However, at his introductory Sassuolo press conference, he expressed respect for the four-defender structure traditional to the club in recent years, noting that current squad availability also makes an immediate tactical shift impractical.
The team's defensive approach is expected to change significantly from last season under Fabio Grosso, who departed to manage Fiorentina after establishing one of the most passive and deep-defending setups in Serie A. Aquilani intends to align with Sassuolo's historic attacking identity previously shaped by managers Eusebio Di Francesco and Roberto De Zerbi, a shift that could see Walukiewicz feature more frequently as a central defender rather than at right-back, where he often played last term.
National team selection and competition
From the perspective of the Polish national team, Walukiewicz remains a major figure for manager Jan Urban regardless of his specific club role. Urban maintains a tactical system built around three central defenders, requiring approximately six center-backs to be named in each national squad.
Within Urban's defensive setup, Jan Bednarek serves as the central anchor while Jakub Kiwior is established on the left. The right-sided center-back position has seen frequent rotation, with Przemysław Wiśniewski, Tomasz Kędziora, and Jan Ziółkowski all featuring in recent matches.
Younger contenders for the right-sided role include Kacper Potulski and Oskar Wójcik, while Maik Nawrocki will also require monitoring by the coaching staff if he secures regular playing time at French club Lens. However, most of these alternatives remain at an early career stage comparable to where Walukiewicz was several years ago, requiring further development before becoming established national team pillars.
Career path and Serie A transfer record
Walukiewicz built extensive international experience prior to making his senior Poland debut at age 20, accumulating over 50 caps across national youth teams after earning his first youth call-up at age 14. He made his senior domestic debut in the Ekstraklasa on his 18th birthday for Pogoń.
After six months of regular first-team football in Poland, Cagliari purchased the teenager for 3.5 million euros. Before reaching his 20th birthday, he was already facing Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A matches, prompting then Poland manager Jerzy Brzęczek to hand him his senior debut amid expectations that he would lead the national defense for a decade.
Although initial projections saw Cagliari as a temporary stepping stone for the tall, fast, and technically gifted defender who attracted interest from major European clubs, his career progression in Italy was not entirely linear. He experienced two seasons in which he combined for under 1,000 total Serie A minutes.
Despite those setbacks, Walukiewicz has maintained continuous demand within Italian football, rising in market valuation with each transaction. After Pogoń received 3.5 million euros for his transfer, Cagliari sold him for 4.5 million euros, Empoli later signed him for 4.7 million euros, and Torino acquired him for 5 million euros.
Over the past three seasons, he has logged approximately 2,000 minutes per campaign in Serie A, having previously approached 3,000 minutes in earlier years. Although he has never finished a Serie A season in the top half of the league table, his 143 top-flight appearances place him in elite company. Only six Polish outfield players in history have recorded more Serie A matches.
International exile and call-up dispute
Physical injuries fail to explain why Walukiewicz has managed only 10 senior caps in nearly six years, an average of just over 1.5 appearances per year. His single severe medical issue was a major hip injury that sidelined him for most of a season, ending in Cagliari's relegation from Serie A. Outside of that period, his injury absences have been limited to maximum breaks of one month.
Former Poland manager Michał Probierz named Walukiewicz to the squad for Euro 2024 but did not field him for a single minute during the tournament. Probierz subsequently integrated him into the team during the following autumn Nations League fixtures, with Walukiewicz making his most recent international appearance in a friendly against Moldova, the penultimate match of Probierz's tenure.
Walukiewicz has not received a single call-up under current manager Jan Urban. His ongoing omission became a prominent public topic during Urban's first year in charge following a widely discussed disagreement regarding unreturned phone calls between the player and management. That personal dispute is now reportedly settled.
While the disagreement was smaller in scale than the high-profile conflict between Probierz and striker Robert Lewandowski, commentators emphasize that personal issues should not narrow Poland's selection options. At 26, Walukiewicz is entering his prime playing years with proven Serie A pedigree.
Comparisons have been drawn to former national team midfielder Karol Linetty, who earned 47 caps while accumulating over 250 Serie A appearances before management determined his club form did not translate to international level. Judging Walukiewicz after only 10 caps would be premature given his consistent presence in Italy.
Role in Poland's upcoming Nations League campaign
Poland is currently preparing for its upcoming autumn Nations League matches, providing Urban with an opportunity to assess Walukiewicz directly if the defender returns to regular action. Very few Polish footballers feature consistently across Europe's top five leagues.
Among the ten Polish players starting the new season in Italy, only three outfield players enjoy secure starting roles: midfielder Piotr Zieliński at Inter, midfielder Jakub Piotrowski at Udinese, and Walukiewicz at Sassuolo. Furthermore, according to the Elo ranking system, no domestic club in Poland matches Sassuolo's competitive level.
Across major European leagues outside Italy, only Lens defender Maik Nawrocki alongside Polish central defenders at Mainz and Porto play at higher-ranked clubs. Walukiewicz's defensive profile and composure on the ball fit the tactical requirements of Urban's system as Poland seeks established options ahead of international competition.
