OMM Newsroom
Azerbaijan national team head coach Ayxan Abbasov has spoken about Sampdoria forward Lorenzo Mezzotero’s future with the team.
Abbasov said the coaching staff had been monitoring the player and that Mezzotero had previously expressed a desire to play for Azerbaijan. He received official call-ups from the youth teams and appeared for the U-21 side. The head coach said he watched Mezzotero in person in a match against Gibraltar and that the player’s performances for his club had also caught their attention.
“We had a long list, but selected him from among 23 players. Later, his club contacted us and said he had a minor injury. We trusted that information. If he is in good form at the next training camps, he will be called up again. If he does not want to play for the Azerbaijan national team, that will be his own decision. A player should love and value the national team shirt; it should not be an obligation,” Abbasov said.
Mezzotero, who plays in Italy’s Serie B, missed the national team camp because of an injury.
Context
On October 7, Mezzotero described playing for the senior national team as one of his major ambitions.
