Italy

Legrottaglie Replaces Injured Chiellini For Italy

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has called on Nicola Legrottaglie to replace injured Juventus team-mate Giorgio Chiellini for the Azzurri’s friendly against Austria on Wednesday.

Aug 18, 2008 10:32:27 AM

Nicola Legrottaglie, Beşiktaş'ın Yeni Transferi (acsiena.it)

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Nicola Legrottaglie, Beşiktaş'ın Yeni Transferi (acsiena.it)

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Chiellini had been in the original squad for Lippi’s first game back in charge of the La Nazionale, which will take place in Nice.

However, the 24-year-old has been forced to pull out after suffering what could be a serious injury in Juventus’ 4-1 defeat to Milan in the Trofeo Berlusconi last night.

Chiellini twisted his knee in the second half, and had to be stretchered off. Tests will be done today to ascertain how long the defender will be out of action, but the early signs are that he will be sidelined for at least 6 weeks, while the worst possible scenario would mean a six month absence.

This is a bitter blow for both Juventus and Italy, as Chiellini has developed into a truly top class performer after a magnificent 2007/08 campaign.

In the short-term, his place in the Italy squad for Wednesday’s clash with Austria has been taken by club team-mate Nicola Legrottaglie.

The 31-year-old’s career has been reborn over the past 12 months, and he has now been handed the chance to stake his claim to be a regular part of the Azzurri’s 2010 World Cup campaign that kicks off next month.

Legrottaglie has won seven caps for his country, scoring one goal, but has not played since 2004.

Gianni Wilson