Baldini reacts to Kayode’s Italy debut: ‘All of my U21 players can make the step up’

CESENA, ITALY - OCTOBER 10: Silvio Baldini head coach of Italy U21 during the UEFA Under21 EURO Qualifier betweenItaly U21 v Sweden U21 and ad hoc Arena im Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld on October 10, 2025 in Cesena, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Italy U21 head coach Silvio Baldini hopes that Michael Kayode is not the only youngster to break into the senior national team squad in the near future, promising that “all of my players can make the step up”. 

Brentford right-back Kayode was the standout performer, providing a goal and an assist on his debut, as Italy beat Turkey 4-1 to claim their first win of Roberto Mancini’s second spell in charge on Monday night. 

• Read more: Kayode’s former coach: ‘He’s a class apart,’ but I see why Fiorentina sold him to Brentford for 18m

Not only was the Turkey game Kayode’s first cap, this is only his first camp with the Italy national team squad, despite an impressive individual and collective season with Brentford in the Premier League in 2025-26. 

His former Italy U21 coach Baldini, who is preparing to lead the Azzurrini into a crucial EURO U21 qualifier against Armenia on Thursday evening, was asked about Kayode’s impressive Nazionale debut during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, promising that there could be several other players to follow in the near future. 

“All of my players can make the step up,” Baldini told the press (via TMW). 

“We were happy with the victory the other night, we saw a new atmosphere. It’s a new cycle that could start well and we hope to see a great performance against France as well.”

Speaking at the start of the international break last week, Baldini hinted that Roberto Mancini could call up several of his Italy U21 players for the next international break in November. He also hinted that Mancini was already considering calling several of them up for the September-October break, but that they were left with the U21s ahead of a crucial pair of EUROs qualifiers. 

“Mancini knows this group very well. He knows which players could be useful to him, and I think that he’s left several of them with us because we have these important qualifying matches to play. So, maybe during the next break some of the guys who are here today could be with the senior national team.”

Current Italy U21 squad 

Goalkeepers: Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone), Giovanni Daffara (Parma), Diego Mascardi (Torino). 

Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Torino), Brando Moruzzi (Avellino), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Niccolo Fortini (Torino), Costantino Favasuli (Napoli), Emanuele Lulli (Roma), Luca Reggiani (Borussia Dortmund). 

Midfielders: Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolo Pisilli (Roma), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Giacomo Faticanti (Avellino), Tommaso Berti (Cremonese), Matteo Cichella (Frosinone). 

Forwards: Luca Koleosho (Paris FC), Seydou Fini (Frosinone), Luigi Cherubini (Benevento), Francesco Camarda (Milan), Alphadjo Cisse (Milan), Mattia Liberali (Como).