Five Italy outfielders yet to play in this international break

Italy's 2026-27 Nations League campaign is three games deep, yet five outfield players from Roberto Mancini’s 34-man squad have yet to feature. The coach's tenure has seen mixed results, starting with a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium. However, the team has since secured a 4-1 away victory against Turkey and a 1-1 draw with France.

Mancini initially selected 34 players for this international period. Two players, Nicolo Zaniolo and Giacomo Raspadori, withdrew due to injury without replacements. Federico Dimarco and Bryan Cristante also left at the start of the camp, with Matteo Ruggeri and Samuele Ricci called up to replace them.

Out of the current 32 available players, 28 are outfielders. Of these, five are still awaiting their first minutes in this break: Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi, Monza loanee Eddy Kouadio, Como midfielder Ricci, Fiorentina midfielder Rolando Mandragora, and Borussia Dortmund forward Samuele Inacio.

Players who have not featured:

• Daniele Ghilardi (Defender)
• Eddy Kouadio (Midfielder/Forward)
• Samuele Ricci (Midfielder)
• Rolando Mandragora (Midfielder)
• Samuele Inacio (Forward)

There's been some discussion around Inacio. Though he earned his sole senior cap for Italy in a friendly in June under Silvio Baldini, he remains eligible to play for his father's native Brazil. The 18-year-old has been excluded from the last three matchday squads, but a late appearance against Turkey in their final Nations League match is still a possibility.

When asked about Inacio's omission, head coach Roberto Mancini stated: "He’s a young player who still needs to develop. He’s 18. It takes time. He has to start training with us and build experience. Even if he’s at Borussia Dortmund, he hasn’t played much. We know his quality; he’ll surely be an important player for the national team, but he’s very young, so we need to give him time and let him understand what he can do."