‘Desperate times call for desperate measures’, must have thought Gennaro Gattuso. The Italy coach is confident that the Azzurri will present the best possible squad – they face Northern Ireland and either Wales or Bosnia in a possible final – in the play-offs and is exploring all possible avenues.
His plans, however, have been drastically disrupted. Gattuso was thinking of ‘recovering’ Marco Verratti. The 33-year-old Italian international had not played for Italy… since June 18, 2023.
It will not be possible. The Al Duhail midfielder, who has been capped 55 times by the Azzurra, is injured. Verratti is suffering from a meniscus tear and will have to undergo surgery in the coming hours
In this way, he joins the long list of absentees that Italy is dragging along: Di Lorenzo, Udogie, Rovella, Leoni, Gabbia, Vergara…
That’s why Gattuso has even contacted another ‘old rocker’: Jorginho. According to journalist Bruno Lemos, the Flamengo midfielder received a call from the coach on Saturday to inform him that he had been included in the preliminary squad.
Like Verratti, 34-year-old Jorginho has been out of the Azzurra squad for some time. His last match for Italy was against Croatia almost two years ago, on 24 June 2024.
Read the full article here
