Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi were apparently told prior to Antonio Conte’s Italy announcement that Mario Balotelli would return to the Azzurri squad.
Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele De Rossi were apparently told prior to Antonio Conte’s Italy announcement that Mario Balotelli would return to the Azzurri squad.
Balotelli had not featured in either of Conte’s first two Azzuro squads, and was criticised by captain Buffon after the Azzurri’s World Cup exit this summer.
De Rossi’s statements following the crucial defeat to Uruguay in the summer were also seen as having been aimed at the 24-year-old.
The Corriere dello Sport proclaim this morning with a front-page story that De Rossi and Buffon had been briefed by the CT in advance that Super Mario would be returning to the Italy squad.
The Rome-based newspaper claims that the two players, World Cup winners in 2006 and with over 200 caps between them were informed that Balotelli would be returning to the squad, but with warnings over his conduct.
The sports daily says that the Liverpool striker has been told that he must run for the team, work hard and not cause any trouble.
Should he fail to meet these obligations, Conte has informed Buffon and De Rossi that Balotelli will not be called for the Azzurri again, the newspaper believes.
Conte faced a number of questions in yesterday’s Press conference about why he had called the out-of-form striker up to his squad.