Nicolo Tresoldi’s future remains uncertain – not least because the new Germany manager, Jürgen Klopp, did not select the FC Brugge player for his extended squad. This has now also prompted a response from Italy’s national manager.
After Nicolo Tresoldi was recently left out of Jürgen Klopp’s squad, the striker – who plays for the German Under-21s – spoke about his future. Speaking at a DFB press conference, he said: “My heart is 50:50. Both countries mean a great deal to me.”
This means that the German-Italian, who was born in Cagliari, Sardinia, has until next year to make up his mind before a decision must be made. The choice is this: will Tresoldi play for the Squadra Azzurra – who have missed out on the World Cup three times in a row – from 2027 onwards, or will he join the DFB squad, who have recently performed poorly at three consecutive World Cups?
“We’ve spoken to him”
Italy’s new – yet familiar – national team manager, Roberto Mancini, made the following statement on Thursday regarding the race to secure the striker’s services: “We’ve spoken to him – and he said that he can’t make a decision just yet, as he has promised the Under-21 manager that he will play for Germany at the European Championship in June.”
Mancini also reiterated Tresoldi’s own statement – whilst expressing his preferred scenario: “He told us too that he feels 50 per cent Italian and 50 per cent German. Hopefully, by June, he’ll feel 51 per cent Italian and 49 per cent German.”
In any case, the German Under-21s, under coach Di Salvo, can certainly count themselves as the current winners in this saga. After all, the 22-year-old Tresoldi has scored twelve goals in 24 appearances for the side so far – and things are also going well for the former Hannover player, who has held a German passport since his 18th birthday, at Bruges, with 16 goals in 37 league matches. Especially as the player himself says: “I’m proud to wear the Germany shirt; I really love it here. I’d like to play in the European Championship here. After that, we’ll see how things pan out. It’s not just my father who comes from Italy. I was born there too, and I grew up there.”
