Gattuso’s Italy Tour Continues As Lazio Players Push For Italy Call Up

Gennaro Gattuso is keeping his March plans on the road, and several Lazio names are now firmly in his thoughts. With no additional training camp scheduled at Coverciano, the Italy coach has been travelling to meet players directly, often alongside head of delegation Gianluigi Buffon, as he shapes the group for next month’s World Cup play offs.

The next stop is Rome. Reports in Italy say a meeting, organised as a dinner, is set for Thursday with a mixed group of Lazio and Roma players, giving Gattuso a chance to speak face to face with candidates and check where they stand physically and mentally at this stage of the season. The invite list includes Bryan Cristante, Gianluca Mancini, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Niccolò Pisilli, Mattia Zaccagni, Nicolò Rovella, and Daniel Maldini.

From a Lazio perspective, the focus is split between availability and opportunity. Zaccagni is currently working his way back from injury and needs minutes and rhythm to put himself in a realistic position for selection, while Rovella is drawing attention again after shaking off his groin issue, a factor that could make him a useful option moving forward.

In attack, Maldini is an intriguing wild card. Lazio have already used him in a more central role under Maurizio Sarri, and that versatility is the kind of profile national team staffs tend to keep on the radar when they want solutions rather than specialists.

That said, competition is heavy. Recent reporting has described a forward pool that already includes several established options such as Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, Francesco Pio Esposito, Gianluca Scamacca, and Giacomo Raspadori, which means Maldini’s path is more about being useful across roles than forcing his way in as a pure number nine.

In short, the Rome meeting looks less like a ceremony and more like a practical checkpoint. For Lazio players, it is a chance to stay visible in a tight window. For Gattuso, it is another piece of on the ground work to finalise choices ahead of March, when Italy will not have the luxury of extra preparation time.