Roberto Mancini acknowledges many Italian strikers ‘can do well in the future’ but insists Ciro Immobile will be the starting striker during the World Cup play-offs in March.
The Azzurri have failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 through the group stage, meaning they’ll have to get their spot for the World Cup from the play-offs.
They will face North Macedonia in the semis and could pick Turkey or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the Final.
“We have complicated our lives a bit, let’s see what happens in March. It won’t be easy, but I think we have a good chance,” Mancini told Sky Sport Italia while attending the Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix on Sunday.
Gianluca Scamacca is making a name for himself in Serie A, having scored five goals with Sassuolo so far this season.
However, Lazio‘s Ciro Immobile is the leading scorer in Italy’s top flight along Fiorentina‘s Dusan Vlahovic. They have scored 13 goals each and Mancini is not considering changing the pecking order.
“We have young players who can grow for the future,” the coach said.
“Now, we have Immobile, one of the most prolific players. We were unlucky because he had physical problems during the last few games.”