Italy coach Luciano Spalletti admits the departures of Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali was ‘traumatic’ for his players.
Newcastle midfielder Tonali and Aston Villa’s Zaniolo were asked to leave the squad after a local investigation was launched into alleged illegal betting involving the players.
Spalletti, ahead of the Euro qualifier in England, said: “I don’t ask for anything more than what I have available for this match. When training a national team we have the opportunity to take everything we want and Italy always provides interesting things.
“Regarding this misfortune that we have all suffered and which has affected some of our young players, it is something that we regret, it hurts us. They were strong players, but as already said we have the obligation to move forward, to take into consideration whether these boys will have a correct reaction to what happened to them and consequently bring them back because they are strong players. But we don’t depend on them for the results we will be able to achieve in the match.”
Spalletti also said: “Yes, it was a trauma for the team, we found ourselves having the authorities almost inside the locker room. We were a bit upset, surprised. But we had a whole day from when we said goodbye to them and many of us went to hug them before they returned to their clubs, to their homes. The boys involved were destroyed: when a group stays together and experiences the matches as a national team, important relationships are always created.
“Relationships are the second thing they will carry with them into life, in addition to the results. I think this is a vice that can happen among young people, we have committed ourselves to telling them many things and we will continue to follow them to give them the possibility through news and knowledge for what for them is the most important.”
