Mancini brings nine newcomers into the first squad of his Italy comeback
ROME: Italy coach Roberto Mancini on Friday called up 34 players, nine for the first time, for the opening four games of his second stint in charge of the Azzurri.
Italy coach Roberto Mancini has announced a roster of 34 players for his return to leading the national team. Nine of these players, including goalkeeper Massimo Pessina, defender Daniele Ghilardi, and forwards Sebastiano Esposito and Antonio Vergara, are making their debut in the Azzurri's first squad. Mancini succeeded Gennaro Gattuso as Italy's coach in March, following Gattuso's resignation following a World Cup qualification loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mancini previously led Italy to Euro 2020 in 2023. The new squad is set to play four national league games in a span of 11 days, starting with a match against Belgium on September 25. The remaining matches include games against Turkey, France, and Turkey again. Among the newly called-up players are goalkeeper Massimo Pessina, defenders Daniele Ghilardi and Michael Kayode, midfielders Alessandro Romano and Issa Doumbia, forwards Sebastiano Esposito and Antonio Vergara, and 18-year-old midfielders Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Zaniolo.
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