Mancini names nine uncapped players in Italy squad
Roberto Mancini has launched his second tenure as Italy head coach with a sweeping rebuild, naming an expanded 34-man roster for its UEFA Nations League games as the team tries to rebound from missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mancini returned to the bench after a chaotic period for the Italian Football Federation, taking over after Gennaro Gattuso left and a brief, fraught attempt to appoint Andrea Pirlo collapsed amid a fierce backlash over Pirlo's commercial ties to a Russian betting company.
Among nine players receiving their first senior international call-ups are Brentford full back Michael Kayode, Monza defender Eddie Kwaidoo, Borussia Dortmund's Samuele Inacio and winger Mohamed Ali Zoma who plays for second-tier Bundesliga side FC Nurnberg.
In a move highlighting Mancini鈥檚 intention to reform the squad's core, several high-profile figures were omitted, most notably Mateo Retegui.
The Argentina-born striker, who proved pivotal during Mancini's previous reign, was left out despite a strong start to the season in Saudi Arabia, where he has scored four goals in seven Saudi Pro League matches.
Cagliari's Daniel Maldini was called up, just days after his driving licence was suspended after a car crash in Milan where he was found to be over the legal alcohol limit.
Italy begins its campaign on 26 September against Belgium at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with games against Turkey and France coming after that.
Italy squad:
Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus); Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta); Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolo Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham Hotspur); Nicolo Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Esposito (Inter Milan), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolo Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Ali Zoma (Nurnberg).
