Mancini: Kean & Zaniolo punished

By Football Italia staff

Roberto Mancini confirms Moise Kean and Nicolo Zaniolo were left out of his latest Italy squad as punishment. “Professionals must always behave well.”

Kean and Zaniolo were Italy’s breakout stars of last season, but the pair courted controversy earlier in the summer as they showed up late for a team meeting ahead of a crunch European Under-21 Championship fixture with Belgium.

“My team is already quite defined,” Mancini said at a Press conference.

“If any interesting new faces came forward, we’d make them available to us. We’ll see what happens between now and the start of the European Championship.

“Here we are with the players who have been called up. If someone sensational breaks out, we’d gladly call them up.

“I’m sure they'll come in handy later on. I don’t like leaving [Kean and Zaniolo] behind as punishment. They’re still young.

“We gave them a great opportunity and we hope this helps them going forward. They must learn to behave well. Professionals must always behave well.

“The players we have here are the best we have right now. They’ve been with us for a long time and they’re doing well, both in the League and with us.

“Sirigu knows the pecking order, but he also knows we can also count on him. We know that in goal, we’re very well stocked from the first to sixth-choice goalkeeper.”

The Azzurri resume their qualifying campaign for Euro 2020 this week with matches against Armenia and Finland.

“Armenia and Finland won’t be easy games because both of their players have been playing for several months and are at 100 percent, whereas ours are a little less so.

“Having said that, we have technique, class and we can fight to the end, even if they’ll be a bit ahead of us physically.”

Finally, the CT was asked about his former Sampdoria teammate Sinisa Mihajlovic, who is back coaching Bologna despite his battle with leukaemia, and racism in Italy after Romelu Lukaku was subjected to monkey chants.

“I’ve talked to Sinisa. He seems better to me. Everything seems to be going well with him and that makes me happy, as well all those who love him.

“The hope is that these things will end. It also happens in England. Unfortunately, there are some brainless people around.

“We’re in 2019 and this all should’ve passed by now. Most people understand and are trying their best to overcome this situation.

“They’re wrong today and perhaps they’ll diminish with time, but there’ll always be [racists].”

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