Football, National team: Zaniolo leaves retirement for personal reasons

"The thing I like most is that a group of young guys is being created, also thanks to the help of the more experienced players. Even though they are young, they played some good games and it seems to me that a good feeling is being established between them", declared Mancini in the press conference at the start of the meeting and while waiting to understand whether or not to replace Zaniolo himself.

Now, having secured third place in the group which guarantees a place among the top seeds in the draw for the European qualifiers scheduled for next December 6th in Belfast, Italy is looking for more points to secure their stay in League A (the two best third-placed teams are saved without needing to resort to play-offs) and with the aim of closing the group in the top two positions thus gaining a pass for the quarter-finals.

Speaking of young people, Mancini wanted to confirm six of the nine new faces seen in September. They are Ghilardi, Kayode, Romano, Doumbia, Sebastiano Esposito and Vergara and he recalled Ahanor as well as bringing in Pisilli and Koleosho from the Under 21s. Two budding talents from Fabregas' Como have been called up for the first time, Mattia Liberali, born in 2007 and Riccardo Cassano in 2009. The call-up of AC Milan striker Alphadjo Cisse has also been confirmed (2006). The other new additions to the "green line" of the national team are the Udinese defender Matteo Palma and the Parma player Simone Lontani, both born in 2008. "We have the obligation to look for and call up young players to get to know them directly. We also call slightly younger guys with good technical qualities to evaluate them because we think that within a short time they can become good", commented the coach.