Matteo Ruggeri receives late Italy call-up for international break

Matteo Ruggeri has been called up to Italy's senior squad for the ongoing international break, according to Sport Witness. The 24-year-old Aston Villa defender was drafted in as a late replacement after Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco was ruled out through injury.

Ruggeri arrived at Villa Park from Atlético Madrid in August, completing his move before the summer transfer window closed. He has represented Italy at every youth level and was previously named in a senior squad in 2025, although he did not make his debut on that occasion.

This call-up comes under Roberto Mancini, who has returned for a second spell in charge of the national team. Italy missed out on qualification for a third successive World Cup, prompting a managerial change that saw Mancini take over again after recent stints managing Saudi Arabia and Al Sadd in Qatar.

Being selected for Mancini's first squad back offers Ruggeri a significant opportunity to establish himself at international level. With Dimarco unavailable, the Villa left-back could feature across a demanding schedule that includes fixtures against Belgium, Turkey twice and France over the coming weeks.

Several other Premier League-based players appear in the wider Italy squad list published by Sport Witness, including Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal, Sandro Tonali of Tottenham Hotspur and Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City. Honest Ahanor of Crystal Palace and Michael Kayode of Brentford have also been included among the defenders.