Following Italy and CT’s disappointing exit from Euro 2024 in the last 16, coach Luciano Spalletti could make sweeping changes ahead of September’s Nations League and 2025 World Cup qualifiers.
Spalletti said in his press conference on Sunday after Italy’s elimination that he plans to lower the average age of the national team, which could mean cutting some veteran players from the Euros squad to make way for new faces.
According to a report by Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday, players at risk of being left out of the next squad include 32-year-old Arsenal midfielder Jorginho, 31-year-old Roma winger Stephan El Shaarawy and 34-year-old Inter defender Matteo Darmian.
The disappointment at Euro 2024 has also left the future of several Italian players in doubt, including Roma’s Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini, as well as Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who struggled particularly hard in the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the group stage.
Which players will Spalletti call up to Italy’s squad after Euro 2024 exit?
But there are a number of players ready to make an impact in Spalletti’s squad, not the least of which is Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, who is free from a season-long suspension and will return at the end of August, eight days before Italy’s next Nations League match against France.
Other players who already have first-team experience and could return include Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli, Galatasaray’s Nicolo Zaniolo and Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini, who missed Euro 2024 due to an injury sustained late in the game.
Gazzetta dello Sport also named several young players who are ready and available for selection, including Tottenham full-back Destiny Udogie, who also missed the Euros with an injury, Fiorentina right-back Michael Kayode, Bologna midfielder Giovanni Fabian and Napoli’s Gianluca Gaetano, who was loaned to Cagliari for the second half of the season.
Four other young players are also on the shortlist but may need some more time to establish themselves in their respective first-team squads at club level, including Milan Primavera sensation Francesco Camarda, Chelsea-owned Cesare Casadei, 18-year-old Simone Pafundi and Empoli midfielder Jacopo Fazzini.