Gianluigi Donnarumma has reportedly made himself available to interim Italy head coach Silvio Baldini for the upcoming June friendly matches. The Azzurri captain is expected to lead a youthful squad, heavily featuring players from the current U21 team.
Silvio Baldini has taken over as interim manager following Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation after Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. Baldini, who coaches the U21 team, will step up to manage the senior squad for friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece in June.
Despite the lack of World Cup stakes and potential low fan interest in these friendlies, they remain obligatory due to television rights agreements, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The publication suggests that many of Italy’s established stars, such as Sandro Tonali, Alessandro Bastoni, Manuel Locatelli, and Moise Kean, are likely to be rested.
Instead, Baldini is expected to call up many players from his current U21 squad. Captain Donnarumma is anticipated to lead this new-look team, having recently spoken with Baldini and expressed his willingness to play.
La Gazzetta dello Sport indicates that Baldini will also select some of Italy’s promising young talents, including Pio Esposito, Marco Palestra, and Nicolo Pisilli. Furthermore, several standout U21 players may receive call-ups, such as Pietro Comuzzo, Michael Kayode, Fabio Chiarodia, Davide Bartesaghi, Honest Ahanor, Cher Ndour, Luca Lipani, Luka Koleosho, and Jeff Ekhator.