ITALY VETERAN ANDREA Pirlo was among the absentees as coach Antonio Conte named a provisional 28-man squad today for a pre-Euro 2016 training camp with several stars absent with cup finals to play.
The 46-year-old Conte will take over as Chelsea manager after the June 10-July 10 tournament in France in which Italy face Ireland, Belgium and Sweden in Group E.
Conte, who earlier today was cleared of sporting fraud charges relating to a match-fixing affair while he was coach of Serie B team Siena in 2011, can now focus on the Azzurri although questions remain over his final 23-man squad.
Italy players yet to play cup finals — namely those with Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Manchester United — were left out of the reckoning altogether, meaning Conte’s final squad on 31 May could look very different.
Defender Leonardo Bonucci was the only Juventus player included for the first training camp beginning Wednesday at Coverciano near Florence because he is suspended for the Italian Cup final against AC Milan on 21 May.
With midfielders Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) and Marco Verratti (PSG) ruled out through serious injury, there is a place for Roma’s tough-tackling defensive midfielder Daniele de Rossi.
World Cup winner Pirlo, 36, who had come out of retirement following Italy’s first-round exit from the 2014 World Cup, was a notable, although not a surprise, absentee.
Since his move from Juventus to New York City, Pirlo has fallen out of favour amid reports he is lacking the required fitness. It now looks increasingly unlikely he will play at Euro 2016.
Conte has rewarded Domenico Berardi for a string of fine goal-scoring performances with Serie A minnows Sassuolo, who pipped AC Milan to sixth place and a possible spot in next season’s Europa League.
Toronto striker Sebastian Giovinco, who played under Conte at Juventus, has been recalled while Sunderland’s Fabio Borini, who featured at Euro 2012 without playing a game, has been given the nod by Conte for the first time.
Conte called up seven players who had never graced the Italy squad in Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, Genoa defender Armando Izzo, Empoli defender Lorenzo Tonelli, midfielders Marco Benassi (Torino), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Davide Zappacosta (Torino) and Genoa striker Leonardo Pavoletti.
Three other players, other than Borini, return to the fray in goalkeepers Antonio Mirante (Bologna), Federico Marchetti (Lazio) and West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna.
Among the notable absentees due to cup duty are goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini (both Juventus), Luca Antonelli (Milan), midfielders Thiago Motta (PSG) and Riccardo Montolivo (Milan), goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (PSG) and Manchester United fullback Matteo Darmian.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti (Lazio), Antonio Mirante (Bologna), Marco Sportiello (Atalanta)
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo), Davide Astori (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Armando Izzo (Genoa), Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (West Ham/ENG), Lorenzo Tonelli (Empoli)
Midfielders: Marco Benassi (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Lorenzo De Silvestri (Sampdoria), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna), Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Napoli), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Roberto Soriano (Sampdoria), Davide Zappacosta (Torino)
Forwards: Fabio Borini (Sunderland/ENG), Citadin Martins Eder (Inter Milan), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa), Graziano Pellè (Southampton/ENG).
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