Daniel Maldini the missing piece to Italy puzzle, believes Spalletti

Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti believes Daniel Maldini has been the creative spark the national side has been lacking ahead of their Nations League clash with Belgium.

Maldini could follow in the footsteps of his father, Paolo, and grandfather Cesare, both former Italy captains, should he represent the Azzurri at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.

The 22-year-old came through the ranks at Milan, managing 24 appearances in all competitions and scoring once, but spent three seasons out on loan from 2022 to 2024.

Maldini spent the second half of last season on loan with Monza before making his move permanent in July, netting five goals in 19 outings to help Raffaele Palladino’s side to a 12th place finish in Serie A.

Now under the guidance of Alessandro Nesta, Maldini has begun to flourish, completing more dribbles (12) than any of his team-mates in the league so far.

The young Italian was one of four players given their senior call-up by Spalletti for their Nations League fixtures against Belgium and Israel, with the Monza forward replacing Lazio’s Matteo Zaccagni.

And Spalletti is confident Maldini can make an impact, saying: “He is the (kind of) player we were missing.”

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Italy come into the contest off the back of an impressive opening to their Nations League A2 group, beating Israel and France last month.

After a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign that saw them lose to Switzerland in the round of 16, Spalletti insisted that their encounter against Belgium is crucial to their development.

“We will immediately become a great team in every match where we will be able to give the best of ourselves,” Spalletti said.

“It is a crucial match for our future.”

Spalletti, however, has his eyes set on the 2026 World Cup, a tournament the Azzurri have won on four occasions throughout their history.

But Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions of the competition, but have since won the European Championships against England in 2021 under Roberto Mancini.

While Spalletti signified the importance of the World Cup’s influence on the Azzurri’s illustrious history, he said his players must focus on each game as it comes.

“It is a tournament that has determined our history, it has made many people happy,” Spalletti concluded.