Michael Folorunsho: Midfielder Gets First Italy Call Up As Luciano Spalletti Gears Up for Friendlies

• Michael Folorunsho has received his first Italy national team call-up
• The midfielder has been named in Luciano Spalletti's 28-man squad
• The 26-year-old Hellas Verona man was born in Rome to Nigerian parents

Italy head coach, Luciano Spalletti, has named a squad featuring exciting new faces for the upcoming friendly matches against Venezuela and Ecuador in the United States.

The additions include midfielder Michael Folorunsho, currently on loan at Hellas Verona from Napoli, Torino defender Raoul Bellanova, and Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca.

All three players have received their first call-ups to the senior national team.

Folorunsho, born in Rome to Nigerian parents, has impressed with his attacking contributions for Hellas Verona this season. He has scored four goals and made one assist in 26 league games, as reported by Complete Sports. He joins a well-established midfield core. including Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Giacomo Bonaventura (Fiorentina), Jorginho (Arsenal), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), and Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma).

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Spalletti's 28-man squad boasts a strong goalkeeping contingent with established starter Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur), Alex Meret (Napoli), and Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta) all included.

The defence offers a blend of experience and youth. Stalwart defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli) anchors the right flank alongside newcomers Bellanova and veteran Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan). Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan) and rising star Destiny Udogie (Udinese) provide options on the left, while Andrea Cambiaso (Genoa) adds versatility with his ability to play both flanks, as reported by Football Italia.

Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), and Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta) make up the central defensive uni

The manager has opted for a fresh attacking line in the absence of Gianluca Scammacca. The likes of Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Lucca, Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), and Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa) will be tasked with providing the goals for the Azzurri.

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Folorunsho on playing for Italy

Sports Brief reported that Folorunsho refrained from labelling Ittaly a dream to play for.

He expressed satisfaction at being recognised by Spalletti

The player also stressed his approach to progressing his career was one step at a time.