Nicolò Zaniolo will reportedly start in Roma‘s first friendly of the José Mourinho era today.
The Giallorossi meet amateur club Montecatini at Trigoria at 5 pm UK time.
The game will be played behind closed doors, so neither journalists nor fans will be allowed to watch the match.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Nicolò Zaniolo is expected to start in midfield for the Giallorossi.
The former Roma and Fiorentina starlet missed the entire 2020-21 campaign due to a knee injury.
#Roma e #Mourinho, debutto al buio. Che attesa per #Zaniolo! https://t.co/ic1aH0LCnf
— Corriere dello Sport (@CorSport) July 15, 2021
The 22-year-old sustained two different knee surgeries in 2020, one in January and one in September, but according to the report, Zaniolo has always trained with the group since the Roma pre-season began.
He had played his last competitive game on September 7, 2020, when he suffered a knee injury in a Nations League tie between Italy and the Netherlands. Zaniolo seems to have regained his fitness and is ready to start in a 4-2-3-1 line-up today.
Mourinho is expected to rotate his squad heavily during his first friendly in charge of the Giallorossi. Roma will face newly promoted Serie B side Ternana in the second summer friendly at Trigoria next Sunday.