Wilfried Gnonto has expressed his continued disbelief at working alongside Italy head coach Roberto Mancini as they prepare to start their Euro 2024 qualifiers against England on Thursday.
Italy missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after a loss to North Macedonia in their qualifying play-off in March last year.
It was the second successive World Cup that the Azzurri had missed and came just months after their victorious Euro 2020 campaign that saw them beat England on penalties in the final.
Gnonto made his international debut in May 2022 and looks set to add to his eight caps for the national side when they face England on Thursday before travelling to Malta on Sunday.
The Leeds United winger was a product of the Inter youth academy when Mancini was in charge of the Italian side and hailed the national team boss as one of his inspirations.
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Gnonto said: "I remember when I was young at Inter and he coached the first team. He was an idol and I never expected to be in the national team with him."
The winger became the youngest goalscorer for Italy when he scored against Germany last June and backs Mancini's recent claim that Italy have young talent comparable to England's Jude Bellingham.
He said: "He gave a strong signal, both with me and with other young people. We hope many others will follow."
The 19-year-old also hailed to influence of former assistant coach Gianluca Vialli, who worked with the younger players extensively before passing away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
"He immediately tried to make me feel part of the group and to give me advice. The moments spent together and his words will always remain with me," Gnonto said.
Leeds sit 14th in the Premier League but just two points off the relegation zone, with Gnonto registering four goals in all competitions since his move from Zurich last year.
"I didn't even hope so much, it all happened very quickly and I didn't have time to realise," he said, reflecting on his transfer to the Premier League.
"But it was a beautiful emotion. The impact was good on a personal level, the team is experiencing some ups and downs.
"It seems like a dream to me. I come from Baveno and I never expected one day to get to the Premier League or to receive compliments from such players. I live everything with great pride and I always try to commit myself to improve."
Football rumours: Magpies hope new deal prevents Bruno Guimaraes flying the nest
The in-demand Bruno Guimaraes looks set to stay at Newcastle after the club reportedly offered him £200,000 a week to stay at the club in an effort to see off advances from Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Sun said.
If the 25-year-old midfielder agrees to the terms it would make him the highest paid player at the club.
The Daily Mail said Portuguese forward Joao Felix has been offered to Newcastle on a loan deal after Chelsea opted not to sign the forward on a permanent transfer from Atletico Madrid.
Harry Kane has expressed his desire to stay in England and move to Manchester United this summer rather than a move overseas, with the Sun claiming he is willing to see out his contract and leave Tottenham as a free agent next year if his transfer is blocked.
Tottenham are reportedly increasing their interest in Celtic’s Australian manager Ange Postecoglou, according to the Daily Mail.
The Telegraph says Sam Allardyce’s short stint at Leeds is set to come to an end on Thursday as the veteran manager is set to meet with the club’s senior figures.
Social media round-upPlayers to watchBenjamin Pavard: The 27-year-old French defender does not want to renew his contract at Bayern Munich in 2024 with Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona all interested in his signature, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
Kalidou Koulibaly: Chelsea are reportedly looking to sell the Senegalese defender over the summer, the Evening Standard said. Chelsea signed him from Serie A team Napoli last year for around £33million.
Sarina Wiegman frustrated over timing of players being released for World Cup
Sarina Wiegman has expressed her frustration over the uncertainty surrounding England’s World Cup preparations as talks continue regarding the timing of players being released for duty ahead of the tournament.
The showpiece in Australia and New Zealand gets under way on July 20, and in mid-May, the European Club Association and FIFA announced they had reached an agreement establishing a non-mandatory release period of June 23-29.
The ECA and FIFA said that timeframe, to act as a guideline for clubs and national associations with exact dates to be agreed between them, “strikes the all-important balance between players having sufficient rest while allowing adequate time to prepare for the World Cup”.
The plan for England had been to start a pre-tournament camp on June 19, and boss Wiegman, who named her 23-player squad for the World Cup on Wednesday, said: “Of course that’s frustrating because we have all our plans, we thought we were all set and then like a month ago, all of a sudden, things change.
“We didn’t expect that, and it’s so late. I do understand, it’s about the calendar. It’s really hard. It’s about players having rest. We have to collaborate and talk to each other to try to solve that.
“But now in a short time like this, we’re all set and a month before we start, it all changes. That’s frustrating and it’s hard too because I think this is not the time to do this. It’s the time to do that later and solve it after this tournament.”
Wiegman was asked specifically about midfielder Georgia Stanway, who plays for Bayern Munich, and said: “I still hope we negotiate. At this point it’s hard but we’re trying to get the conversation going again.”
The Dutchwoman said the June 19 plan had been in place since last November, adding: “When we came to these plans, of course we have our principles, the knowledge, the expertise and experience, so we made the plan starting the 19th (of June).
“We spoke about that with the captains’ group, then with the players. We are in contact with clubs now and it’s very constructive but it’s not finalised yet.
“When you go to a World Cup, it’s the highest level, the most density, volume, so you have to be at your highest level.
“We also know that if you have more than two weeks’ rest, which if you would start later on you would have 26 days of no football, that’s not good for the preparation for the players, for the welfare of players that wouldn’t be good. So that’s why we want to start on June 19.
“It’s not only the physiology, it’s also the decision-making in football and getting really ready to start when we start on the 22nd (of July v Haiti).
“And knowing we’re going to the other side of the world, that takes a couple of days too. It’s two days of travelling, you can’t start training straight away because we first have to beat the jet-lag, so we really need that time to get prepared, so I just hope that we keep going with the good conversations and we can solve this.”
England are due to fly to Australia on July 5, and Wiegman also said regarding a warm-up fixture prior to that date: “The reason why we can’t tell you anything about that has to do with when we can start.
“If we start on June 19 we have enough days to get ready for such a game, but if we start later then you have too short a time to get ready for a fixture.”
Youri Tielemans confirms Leicester exit
Youri Tielemans has announced that he is leaving Leicester.
The 26-year-old joined the Foxes from Monaco on loan in 2019 before signing a permanent deal on a four-year contract.
Tielemans is out of contract this summer and his departure comes after Leicester were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season on Sunday.
Their relegation came just seven years after being crowned Premier League champions and two seasons since winning the FA Cup against Chelsea, where Tielemans scored a stunning goal to seal victory.
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“Dear Leicester fans, after four and a half special years and with a lot of gratitude I’m bidding farewell to this incredible club,” the Belgium international said in a video on Instagram.
“From the first day I set foot on this ground, your warmth and passion embraced me.
“Victory and triumph, love, hope and even defeat, we’ve shared many special moments together.
“I am forever grateful for your unwavering support, thank you to Khun Top, the board, the staff, the players and fans for having given me and my family a home.
“This is not a goodbye, but a heartfelt farewell. With pride, love and eternal gratitude, Youri Tielemans.”
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