Who Could Make Their Debut For Italy? Gennaro Gattuso Calls Up Trio Of Youngsters For Crucial World Cup Qualifiers

Three youngsters could make their debut for Italy after earning a call up from Gennaro Gattuso, as the Azzurri squad take on Estonia and Israel.

Who Will Make Their Italy Debut Under Gattuso?

Gennaro Gattuso will take charge of his first matches as Italy manager after taking the reins from Luciano Spalletti in June 2025 and the former Azzurri midfielder will kick things off with a duo of World Cup Qualifiers.

One standout for Gattuso’s first squad is the inclusion of three young stars who could earn their first cap for Italy, as Pio Esposito, Giovanni Leoni and Giovanni Fabian have all been selected.

Esposito comes in after a recent surge into Cristian Chivu’s squad at Inter, bursting onto the scene at the FIFA Club World Cup and featuring in the Nerazzurri’s second Serie A match.

Many expected the striker to leave on loan before the summer transfer window deadline, however, his performances have pushed the club into keeping the Italian for the 2025/26 campaign.

Moving down the pitch, Italy will have another fresh face in the heart of midfield, as Giovanni Fabian earns a place in Gattuso’s squad following a strong run for Bologna.

After making his way through the ranks at Inter Milan, Fabbian moved away from the San Siro in August 2023, joining Bologna and going on to make 72 appearances for the Serie A side.

The Italian cemented his place in Bologna’s midfield midway through the 2023/24 season, before maintaining his position with some great performances last season.

From attack to midfield to defense, Gattuso has handed out maiden call-ups to a variety of players and the youngest comes in at 18-years-old, with Giovanni Leoni joining the upcoming squad.

Making his Serie A debut for Parma in November 2024 at just 17-years-old, Leoni quickly established himself as one of the brightest prospects in Italian soccer – accumulating 17 league appearances.

These performances were enough to convince Premier League champions Liverpool, as Arne Slot brought Leoni in for around $40 million and the youngster is still waiting to make his debut.

Liverpool may be involved with Serie A once again, as Fiorentina are reportedly interested in signing Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa has also been linked with a move back to Italy.

Chiesa is one of the big exclusions from Italy’s upcoming fixtures and Gattuso has gone heavy on Serie A talent, selecting Moise Kean, Daniel Maldini, Riccardo Orsolini, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, Gianluca Scamacca and Mattia Zaccagni.

Sandro Tonali has been called-up despite recent injury concerns, while Gianluigi Donnarumma is also in the squad as the goalkeeper closes in on a move to Manchester City.

Italy Squad For World Cup Qualifiers

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Guglielmo Vicario

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni, Raoul Bellanova, Riccardo Calafiori, Andrea Cambiaso, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, Federico Gatti, Giovanni Leoni, Gianluca Mancini

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Giovanni Fabbian, Davide Frattesi, Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Rovella, Sandro Tonali

Forwards: Francesco Pio Esposito, Moise Kean, Daniel Maldini, Riccardo Orsolini, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, Gianluca Scamacca, Mattia Zaccagni