The Italian national team manager Cesare Prandelli has said that he does not rule out the possibility of the Inter Milan striker Antonio Cassano representing the national team once again.
The striker has not been part of the Italian team since the Euro 2012, which have led to rumours suggesting that his international career is all but over. The manager, though, has said that his exclusion from the team is not permanent and he will be back in his plans in the near future. He has said that it is right that Italy chose a number of different players in order to determine the strength of the squad before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
One of the main concerns for the manager has been the age of the squad. He has been trying to lower the age of the Italian squad by bringing in young players like the a similar stock of Stephan El Shaarawy, who has been one of the surprising newcomers this season. Prandelli has admitted that El Shaarawy has been a major surprise to him as well because he has been able to overcome many obstacles. Prandelli has also said that it has been a tight race for the Italian Serie A title.
“His story with the national side is not finished. At this moment in time I just think that it is right that I choose different players. Then we’ll see what happens in the future. He’s been the biggest surprise,” the former Fiorentina boss continued. At this minute, he is overcoming every obstacle. It has been a compelling championship until this point. The likes of Inter, Milan, Roma, Fiorentina, a lot of sides are challenging," said Prandelli. Italy will be facing Netherlands in a friendly match before the World Cup qualifying resumes with a match against Malta.