Claudio Ranieri believes Mario Balotelli ‘needs a game with Italy to see if he’s matured’ and thinks he has found Marco Verratti’s best position.

Nantes boss Ranieri is no stranger to Nice striker Balotelli and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Verratti, given the Italian trio ply their trades in Ligue 1.

“Balotelli? Here in France, he’s making the difference,” he told Radio uno.

“He needs a game with the national team to see if he’s matured. Verratti? He’s shown great things in Ligue 1.

Claudio Ranieri believes Mario Balotelli ‘needs a game with Italy to see if he’s matured’ and thinks he has found Marco Verratti’s best position.

Nantes boss Ranieri is no stranger to Nice striker Balotelli and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Verratti, given the Italian trio ply their trades in Ligue 1.

“Balotelli? Here in France, he’s making the difference,” he told Radio uno.

“He needs a game with the national team to see if he’s matured. Verratti? He’s shown great things in Ligue 1.

“I see him just in front of the defence: that’s his role for me. Zeman played him there for Pescara.

“We should give him the responsibility of that role and then see if he can hold it down.

“Buffon? I think Gigi has more charisma and intelligence than most.

“When he decides to retire, he must stay in football. He’ll be very well-placed at deciding whether that’s with Juventus or the national team.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *