Italy Squad: Mancini Calls 34, Omits Retegui, Udogie, Zaccagni

Roberto Mancini summoned a large group of 34 players for his initial Italy squad, yet several notable names were not included. Among those left out are Mateo Retegui, Mattia Zaccagni, Destiny Udogie, Matteo Gabbia, and Matteo Politano. Some players remain with the Under-21 squad.

The Azzurri's Nations League campaign under Mancini begins with matches against Belgium (September 25), Turkiye (September 28), France (October 2), and another fixture against Turkiye (October 5). Group A concludes with games against France (November 12) and Belgium (November 15).

This extensive call-up features nine players who have not previously represented the senior Italy team. However, several prominent players were overlooked. Additionally, Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Marco Palestra (Chelsea), Federico Chiesa (Liverpool), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), and Alex Meret (Napoli) are currently sidelined due to injuries.

Mateo Retegui debuted for Italy under Mancini in March 2023. He has since scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 28 senior appearances. His omission, however, follows his transfer to Al-Qadsiah and the emergence of other forward options.

Lazio captain Mattia Zaccagni's absence is surprising, given his club's strong start to the season. Matteo Politano, a regular for Napoli, also faces exclusion.

Matteo Gabbia, a defender for Milan, has been dealing with injuries. Destiny Udogie, the Tottenham Hotspur full-back, was also expected to receive a call-up, nearly a year after his last appearance for Italy.

The upcoming Under-21 European Championship qualifiers, with crucial matches against Armenia and Poland, might also influence squad selections. This could explain why players like Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), and Alphadjo Cisse (Milan) remain with the U21 team.

Italy Squad for Nations League Games

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus);

Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta);

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolò Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham);

Forwards: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolò Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Alì Zoma (Nurnberg).