Roberto Mancini says he is ready to unleash Italy’s young players in Euro 2020 qualifying, singling out Nicolo Zaniolo and Moise Kean.
Zaniolo and Kean were called up for Italy’s first two qualifiers against Finland and Liechtenstein, and Mancini made it clear they were just as much about the present as they were the future.
“I’ve called up so many players so I can get to know them all better and assess their condition closely because we made the call-ups on Friday,” explained the Azzurri CT at a Press conference.
Roberto Mancini says he is ready to unleash Italy’s young players in Euro 2020 qualifying, singling out Nicolo Zaniolo and Moise Kean.
Zaniolo and Kean were called up for Italy’s first two qualifiers against Finland and Liechtenstein, and Mancini made it clear they were just as much about the present as they were the future.
“I’ve called up so many players so I can get to know them all better and assess their condition closely because we made the call-ups on Friday,” explained the Azzurri CT at a Press conference.
“We called up a few more strikers because we have to work in this sense. I’m sorry for those who were left out.
“Belotti? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. That’s the beauty of the national team. After that, I make my decisions.
“He can do even better than he is and he can return to the national team. Balotelli still isn’t in optimal condition for the national team. He needs some more time.
“We have young players who are improving. We thank Di Biagio because we took several of his players for the European Championship away from him.
“Zaniolo can surely debut for us. Kean? Moise has won so much for his age. Let’s hope he starts like Balotelli did, which is very good.
“I’m confident. Our games coming up project us towards the European Championship, so we must do well in them.
“We have lots of good players, now the bar needs raising. Verratti and Jorginho? Jorginho is playing well.
“Chelsea are having problems, but he’s missed hardly any matches. The same goes for Verratti.”