Luciano Spalletti gave three players their first Italy call-ups for the upcoming friendlies, giving a chance to Torino’s Raoul Bellanova, Hellas Verona’s Michael Folorunsho and Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca.
The former Napoli coach confirmed his 28-man Azzurri squad for the coming matches in the Unite3d States with Venezuela on March 21 and Ecuador on March 24, calling up a number of familiar favourites as well as a few surprises.
Whilst some inclusions frustrated Italy fans, like Aston Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo, others were more positively received, like the decision to give Bellanova a chance after his impressive campaign with Torino.
La Gazzetta dello Sport underlined how Spalletti brought in three new faces for Italy’s friendlies with Venezuela and Ecuador, bringing in Torino’s Bellanova, Verona’s Folorunsho and Udinese’s Lucca.
Of the three, Bellanova is the most well-known considering his transfer links to clubs like West Ham, Aston Villa and Manchester United.
Folorunsho is a flexible midfielder currently on loan at Verona from Napoli. The 26-year-old has done well in multiple positions across the centre of the pitch this term, scoring four goals and providing one assist.
Despite the poor form in Udine, Lucca has managed to impress this season, netting eight goals and providing three assists across 30 matches, earning him a spot in the Italy squad.