Sensi out of European Championship, Pessina takes his place

Inter’s Stefano Sensi will miss this summer’s European Championship, having been ruled out of contention less than 48 hours after Roberto Mancini named his squad.

Sensi, who played just 594 minutes over 18 appearances in Serie A for Inter as they won the Scudetto in 2020/21, suffered an injury to his adductor muscle on the eve of Italy’s game against the Czech Republic.

As a result, Sky Sport Italia have reported that Matteo Pessina has been called up for the European Championship. The Atalanta midfielder had been in the original group of players working under Mancini, but was cut as the list was narrowed down to 26 players.

Pessina had, however, stayed on with the team as concerns surrounded Marco Verratti’s condition, the idea being that he would be fit and ready to step in should the Paris Saint-Germain star fall injured. Instead, it’s Sensi who has been ruled out and Pessina has taken the ex-Sassuolo midfielder’s spot.

Pessina played 40 times in all competitions for Atalanta during the 2021/22 season, accumulating 2,500 minutes, scoring four goals and assisting two more.