Italy hung on to beat Turkey 3-2 on Tuesday, but Roma ace and reported Liverpool transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo came in for criticism from TuttoMercatoWEB for his ‘negligible’ work.
Roberto Mancini’s squad were still spinning from failing to qualify for the World Cup when they visited Turkey in midweek. And the mood in the Azzurri camp did not improve when Cengiz Under broke the deadlock in just the third-minute at the Yeni Konya Stadi in Konya.
- READ MORE: Fulham’s XI if they kept their top stars
A quick double from Bryan Cristante and Giacomo Raspadori in the 35th and 39th-minutes flipped the scoreline in Italy’s favour. But Mancini saw enough from Zaniolo to haul the 22-year-old off at half-time in just the winger’s 10th-cap and second since September 2020.
Raspadori would again beat Altay Bayindir in the second-half as Cristiano Biraghi earned a second assist of the night. Yet Serdar Durusun would respond to set up a nervy finish, but Stefan Kuntz’s side could not find a third in the closing stages to avoid a 3-2 home defeat.
Italian media slam Liverpool target Zaniolo for ‘negligible’ 5.5/10 display
Italy’s friendly with Turkey on Tuesday was also only Zaniolo’s fourth start for the Azzurri since debuting in 2019. Mancini felt fit to field the Massa-born maestro from the off at the home of Konyaspor amid a four-goal, eight-assist campaign with Roma in all competitions.
Zaniolo’s efforts with Roma have attracted interest from Liverpool before the next transfer window. Roma Live report the Reds made exploratory surveys to sound out his situation at the Stadio Olimpico, where TMW note the Giallorossi value the forward at €40m (£34m).
Roma are still to decide on his exit, but Ivan Reggiani claims he is close to joining Juventus. The winger is also likely to earn around €6m to €7m-a-year (£98k to £114k-a/w) in Turin. But Liverpool or Juventus will likely want more from Zaniolo than he gave Italy in Turkey.
“The desire to show off is there, the rest a little less,” TuttoMercatoWEB wrote, and gave the 22-year-old a 5.5 out of 10 match rating. “He tries the game every time he has the ball between his feet: the result is negligible.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
