According to La Repubblica newspaper, Italy CT Roberto Mancini didn’t call up Nicolò Zaniolo and Mattia Zaccagni for ‘disciplinary reasons.’
The Azzurri are preparing to face England and Hungary in the Nations League without the Roma and Lazio stars. Eyebrows were raised when ‘Mancio’ released his squad for the next two games, failing to include the talented pair.
Even when Matteo Politano was forced to leave the camp due to an injury earlier this week, Mancini called Manolo Gabbiadini who hasn’t featured for the Azzurri since the infamously famous Italy-Sweden clash in 2017.
According to Repubblica, Zaniolo and Zaccagni were not called up due to disciplinary reasons. ‘Nobody confirms it officially, but everyone knows it in Coverciano,’ wrote Matteo Pinci.
Both players started with their clubs over the weekend, although Zaniolo had just returned from a shoulder injury.
According to the report, Zaniolo’s insulting chants against Lazio during Roma’s celebration of their Conference League win cost him a spot with the national team, especially after the Federal Prosecutor opened an investigation over the incident.
On the other hand, Zaccagni opted to leave the national team along with his teammate Manuel Lazzari in June as he was not 100% fit, annoying the CT.
Zaccagni and Zaniolo have somehow been strictly connected over the last months as the Lazio winger will have a baby from Zaniolo’s ex-girlfriend Chiara Nasti, but Repubblica insists their rapport off the pitch has nothing to do with Mancini’s decision.