Roberto Mancini names 34 players in first Italy squad since returning

Roberto Mancini has blended veterans from his Euro 2021-winning squad with several potential debutants. | Photo Credit: AP

Roberto Mancini named a 34-man squad on Friday for his first Italy team since returning as coach, ahead of four Nations League fixtures.

Tasked with reviving a side that is deep in crisis, Mancini has blended veterans from his Euro 2021-winning squad with several potential debutants as well.

Eight players still remain uncapped, the names of the players are as follows: Mohamed Ali Zoma, Antonio Vergara, Alessandro Romano, Issa Doumbia, Michael Kayode, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Inacio and Sebastiano Esposito.

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In the league phase, each team must submit a 23-player list before midnight ahead of each match but can alter its selections between games. Italy is set to begin at home against Belgium on September 25, then face Turkey three days later, France on October 2 and Turkey again on October 5.

The Azzurri is in turmoil after failing to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time, a sequence that led to the April resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso following a playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mancini was reappointed three years after leaving the role to take a lucrative contract with Saudi Arabia.