Italy's youth on show in Serie A after Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku exits
The HinduThe departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku from Serie A should open the way for younger players to shine in a league that has historically relied on veterans. Beating Lithuania was expected but winning by such a big margin wasn’t," Mancini said, noting how Group C rival Switzerland narrowly beat Lithuania 1-0. That’s the only way for them to improve.” Fresh off leading Italy to the European Championship title, Mancini has been a proponent of using younger players ever since he took over the national team following the Azzurri’s embarrassing failure to qualify for the World Cup. But he’s got to remember that careers are not that long and that you’ve got to take advantage of the moment.” Mancini’s remark about career length may have been an indirect reference to Mario Balotelli, another prodigy who the coach once championed when he managed at Inter and Manchester City. READ : Eden Hazard getting back to his best: Belgium's coach Martinez Now 31 and playing in Turkey with Adana Demirspor amid a nomadic career that hasn’t lived up to its earlier expectations, Balotelli failed to take advantage when Mancini gave him a chance to rejoin Italy’s squad in 2018.