Italy coach Roberto Mancini has leapt to the defence of Ciro Immobile following criticism of the Lazio forward.
Immobile has scored twice at this summer’s European Championship but has faced criticism for his performances so far, with some calling on Torino’s Andrea Belotti to be given the nod over the 2019/20 European Golden Shoe winner.
“Ciro is a European Golden Shoe winner and one of the players to have scored the most goals in recent years,” Mancini said at his pre-Spain press conference. “At a Euros or at the World Cup, the most criticised player can be the one to decide the tournament”
Italy take on Spain on Tuesday at Wembley hoping to book a place in Sunday’s final.
You can follow the game as it progresses with Forza Italian Football’s live blog.
