Italy CT Roberto Mancini says Stephan El Shaarawy will be recalled ‘if he keeps doing well’ and that Andrea Belotti ‘can do much more’.
El Shaarawy and Belotti were among those overlooked for Italy’s matches against Portugal and USA, but Mancini assured the pair were firmly in his plans for the Azzurri, even if the Roma winger was ahead of the Torino striker.
Italy CT Roberto Mancini says Stephan El Shaarawy will be recalled ‘if he keeps doing well’ and that Andrea Belotti ‘can do much more’.
El Shaarawy and Belotti were among those overlooked for Italy’s matches against Portugal and USA, but Mancini assured the pair were firmly in his plans for the Azzurri, even if the Roma winger was ahead of the Torino striker.
“We want to stay on the path we took against Poland. This is the way forward,” he continued at a Press conference.
“We had a great game but can improve in many areas, such as scoring goals much earlier and not suffering.
“First place in our Nations League group? We’ll be playing to beat Portugal and San Siro will give us a hand, also hoping that Poland win or draw.
“It‘s clear that we want to play to win and be proactive in our approach. Bernardeschi? He’s recovered physically.
“If he isn’t in his best condition then someone will replace him, even if they have different characteristics.
“Balotelli rejected? I want to clarify that we haven’t rejected anyone. We have some time until the European Championship and there are many players who will be called up if they play well.
“El Shaarawy is a clear example: if he keeps doing well, like the others, then he’ll surely be called up.
“We know him well, so he hasn’t been called up until now for the benefit of those I didn’t know and I wanted to see up close in training.
“Belotti? He can do much more. He can improve further and get back to the levels he was at before, and the same applies to him. If he continues to improve then he’ll return to the squad.
“Young players? We called up Zaniolo to see him in training with us. He’s just an example. There will be others.”