Rising Italian Star Locatelli Discusses Verratti’s Notable Right Knee Injury | OneFootball

Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli has made the most of his playing time opportunities with the Italian national team.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini had a difficult decision to make on who would replace the injured Marco Verratti for the team’s opening two Euro 2020 fixtures.

Mancini elected to roll out Locatelli alongside Jorginho and Nicolo Barella in the team’s midfield setup and so far, this call has paid off thanks to his superb showings against both Turkey and Switzerland.

As Verratti is nearing a return to in-game action, Mancini may soon have a midfield dilemma over whether to start the Paris Saint-Germain star upon his return from injury.

As Locatelli detailed (via CalcioMercato.it) following Italy’s win against Switzerland, he is much looking forward to the return of Verratti and would respect Mancini’s final decision on this matter.

“I think we are a wonderful group of lads and really hope Marco [Verratti] can be back soon, because he is such a talented player who can make the difference,” Locatelli said.

“The coach has to make his choices, all we can do is be ready when called upon.”

It will be noteworthy to see whether Mancini decides to start Verratti in Italy’s upcoming knockout stage run or elect to not make any changes with his current midfield setup.

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