(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 28 - Inter Milan defender Alessandro
Bastoni, Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli, and Sassuolo
striker Francesco Caputo have got their first Italy call-ups
from coach Roberto Mancini for the Azzurri's first two UEFA
Nations League matches early next month.
They were among a 37-strong squad Mancini announced for the
September 4 match against Bosnia in Florence and the September 7
game against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
The fixtures are Italy's first matches since their 9-1 drubbing
of Armenia 10 months ago.
Bastoni is 22, Locatelli 21 and Caputo 33.
Caputo, who scored 21 goals in 36 games for Seria A outfit
Sassuolo last season, gained headlines by showing a placard
saying "Stay Home, Everything Will Be OK" before scoring a brace
against Brescia in the last match before the coronavirus
lockdown.
Both of Italy's Nations League games will be without fans at the
Artemio Franchi in Florence and the Johan Cruyff Arena in the
Dutch capital.
Here is the squad (* denotes currently suspended for COVID):
Goalkeepres: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma
(Milan), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino);
Dedenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter),
Cristiano Biraghi (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Mattia
Caldara (Atalanta), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Danilo
D'Ambrosio (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Alessandro
Florenzi (Roma), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Luca Pellegrini
(Juventus), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Giacomo Bonaventura,
Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina), Bryan Cristante (Roma),
Jorginho* (Chelsea), Roberto Gagliardini (Inter), Manuel
Locatelli (Sassuolo), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi
(Inter), Sandro Tonali* (Brescia), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma);
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi
(Juventus), Francesco Caputo (Sassuolo), Federico Chiesa
(Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenua), Ciro
Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Moise Kean
(Everton), Kevin Lasagna (Udinese), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna).
photo: Caputo (ANSA).
Soccer: Bastoni, Locatelli, Caputo get 1st Italy call-up
For Nations League games against Bosnia and Netherlands