Italy have called up Luca Pellegrini and Stephan El Shaarawy for September’s Euro 2020 qualifiers, but Cristiano Biraghi, Moise Kean and Nicolo Zaniolo are out.
Pellegrini is rewarded for his breakout few months on loan at Cagliari, which earned him a permanent transfer to Juventus.
There is also a place for El Shaarawy, despite the winger’s decision to leave Europe for Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua earlier in the summer.
However, Biraghi is left out just a day after he completed a return to Inter.
Italy have called up Luca Pellegrini and Stephan El Shaarawy for September’s Euro 2020 qualifiers, but Cristiano Biraghi, Moise Kean and Nicolo Zaniolo are out.
Pellegrini is rewarded for his breakout few months on loan at Cagliari, which earned him a permanent transfer to Juventus.
There is also a place for El Shaarawy, despite the winger’s decision to leave Europe for Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua earlier in the summer.
However, Biraghi is left out just a day after he completed a return to Inter.
The left-back’s omission appears as something of a surprise, given he is not injured and had been Roberto Mancini’s regular No 3, but he has only just returned from knee ligament damage.
What is not so shocking, on the other hand, is the joint no-show of Kean and Zaniolo.
The pair have been demoted to the Under-21 squad following their show of lateness before the Azzurrini’s final European Championship fixture against Belgium.
Mancini was reported to be planning scouting reports on Napoli right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Fiorentina midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli and Genoa striker Andrea Pinamonti this weekend, but none of them have been called up.
Instead, a spot has been given to Udinese forward Kevin Lasagna, who seems to have the CT as a fan, although Cagliari hitman Leonardo Pavoletti is out with a serious knee injury.
The Azzurri resume their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign on September 5 against Armenia, prior to facing Finland three days later.
Italy squad to face Armenia and Finland
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino)
Defenders: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Armando Izzo (Torino), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Luca Pellegrini (Cagliari), Alessio Romagnoli (Milan)
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain)
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenhua), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Kevin Lasagna (Udinese)