Euro 2024: Italy’s Scalvini to miss out due to ACL injury

Scalvini suffered the injury playing for Atalanta on Sunday in its 3-2 home loss to Fiorentina. It was its postponed final game of the campaign.

Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini walks off the pitch after sustaining an injury during a Serie A game. | Photo Credit: REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini will miss the upcoming European Championship after the centre back ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Sunday.

Scalvini suffered the injury playing for Atalanta on Sunday in its 3-2 home loss to Fiorentina. It was its postponed final game of the campaign, which was played a week after the 2023-24 Serie A season concluded for the other clubs.

“The tests he underwent last night showed a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee,” said the FIGC in a statement.

The 20-year-old was substituted in the 84th minute and, visibly in pain, left the pitch limping and supported by two members of the medical staff.

Scalvini hurt his knee himself while attempting a tackle and immediately fell to the ground.

He was taken to hospital where initial tests showed a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, Italian media reported. He will undergo further evaluation in the coming days.

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini confirmed during the post-match press conference that Scalvini was immediately taken for an MRI.

“Let’s hope it’s not the worst thing, clearly the cruciate ligament. The dynamics of the injury aren’t the best,” he added.

Neither the club nor the Italy national team has confirmed how long Scalvini is set to be sidelined.

Italian media reported that Juventus defender Federico Gatti is a likely replacement for Scalvini, who would have been the youngest player in Luciano Spalletti’s squad.

Scalvini’s injury comes after Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi pulled out of Italy’s 30-man preliminary squad on Thursday with groin pain.

Italy kicks off its Euro 2024 campaign on June 15 against Albania before it faces Spain on June 20 and Croatia four days later.

Updated provisional Italy squad:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG)

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Jorginho (Arsenal/ENG), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino)

Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)

(With inputs from AFP)