Nicolo Zaniolo is now on the verge of signing a four-year contract with Galatasaray, leading many to ask what this means for his future in the Italy national team.
The 23-year-old Italian forward has made 11 caps for the Azzurri under Roberto Mancini since his debut in March 2019. Injuries have severely limited his chances with the national team and forced him to miss out on Italy’s successful Euro 2020 run, a bitter pill to swallow.
Although he’s only had a limited impact with the Azzurri, Zaniolo is still a player that Mancini believes to be important to the squad.
When the 23-year-old tried to force through a move away from Roma last month, sitting out two consecutive matches, he was warned by the Italy coach that he “must make himself available to the team and exploit his talent”.
This echoes a sentiment held by the Italy coach for some time now. Last summer, when discussing Zaniolo, Mancini told La Gazzetta dello Sport that “I don’t know whether it’s good or bad for him to leave Roma, all I know is that Zaniolo realize must that he’s been incredibly lucky throughout his career,” adding that “he can’t waste any more time and opportunities.”
This shows that Mancini still believes in the talent and qualities of Zaniolo and wants him to focus on his football, avoiding the off-pitch distractions that come as a well-known player.
The Azzurri coach has also given a few more hints that a move to Galatasaray wouldn’t impact the 23-year-old’s chances of breaking into the squad. He has handed Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo eight caps for the national team, even though he plays abroad and has little relationship with Serie A.
Mancini has also underlined the importance of trusting in young players, seen with his usage of talents like the 19-year-old Wilfried Gnonto and the 16-year-old Simone Pafundi.
At 23, Zaniolo still has a long career ahead of him and rediscovering his form with Galatasaray could be exactly what he needs to break back into the Azzurri squad ahead of Euro 2024.