Italy coach Roberto Mancini has thrown down the gauntlet to his youngsters to step up and fill their dearth of talent at the top end of the pitch. The comments came after Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the semi-finals of the Nations League, which saw their hopes of silverware this summer ended.
Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto was one of those included in the Italy squad for the game, but he remained an unused substitute with Mancini opting to use the likes of Ciro Immobile, who scored a penalty, Nicolo Zaniolo and Federico Chiesa in attacking areas. Gnonto wasn’t the only forward overlooked by Mancini, with Mateo Retegui and Giacomo Raspadori being left to watch from the bench, too.
After the game, though, Mancini could be heard complaining about his lack of attacking options. Given, Gnonto is one of the youngest and most promising attackers in and around the senior picture at present, the head coach’s words can certainly be seen as a challenge for the 19-year-old.
