“It’s a real honour and great feeling to be here, now just the icing on the cake is missing.” Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli is one of the players who has progressed through the Azzurri’s youth ranks: after starting out with the Under-15s and then Under 16s, he was then involved in the European Championship with the Under-17s in 2015 before talking part in the Under-19 European Championship, when Italy were defeated by France. In 2017, when he was 19 years old, he was called up to the Under-21 side. His debut came against Poland in a friendly, with two European Championship matches then following. In March this year, he scored his first goal as the Azzurrini drew with Croatia. And now it’s obvious that he wants to carve out a place for himself in the team in the upcoming tournament on home soil: “I think that playing here in front of our fans will be very exciting,” he says. “I don’t know if I’ll play. Competition for places is normal at this level, the most important thing is the group. And we are very united and determined to go all the way.”

Over the previous two years, a lot of things have changed for Locatelli: “When I came into the side, there were players who were older and more ready, and they made me feel like one of them. I feel like I’m playing more of a key role in this group. Cutrone, a close friend of mine, is also involved. We’re playing at home and have an obligation to try and win this tournament.”

The Under-21s are continuing their preparations at the Niccolò Galli Training Centre in Bologna ahead of their opening match against Spain on Sunday 16 June at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.

Squad list for the European Championship

Goalkeepers: Emil Audero (Sampdoria), Alex Meret (Napoli), Lorenzo Montipò (Benevento);

Defenders: Claud Adjapong (Sassuolo), Alessandro Bastoni (Parma), Kevin Bonifazi (Spal), Arturo Calabresi (Bologna), Federico Dimarco (Parma), Gianluca Mancini (Atalanta), Giuseppe Pezzella (Genoa), Filippo Romagna (Cagliari);

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Cagliari), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Rolando Mandragora (Udinese), Alessandro Murgia (Spal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Sandro Tonali (Brescia), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma);

Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Patrick Cutrone (Milan), Moise Bioty Kean (Juventus), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Andrea Pinamonti (Frosinone).

Staff – Delegation Head: Massimo Ambrosini; Team Manager: Vincenzo Marinelli; National Teams Co-ordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Luigi Di Biagio; Secretary: Mauro Vladovich; Assistant Coaches: Massimo Mutarelli, Carmine Nunziata; Fitness Coach: Vito Azzone; Goalkeeper Coach: Antonio Chimenti; Match analyst: Filippo Lorenzon; Doctors: Angelo De Carli and Luca Gatteschi; Nutritionist: Cristian Petri; Physiotherapists: Enzo Paolini, Alfonso Casano, Emiliano Bozzetti. National teams department: Manfredi Martino.

Schedule

Wednesday 12 June 2019

11:00 Official photo at Casteldebole

18:00 training at Casteldebole (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Thursday 13 June 2019

10:00 training (closed-door)

16:15 meeting with the press (two players)

17:00 training at Casteldebole (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Friday 14 June 2019

10:30 training (closed-door)

13:30 Exclusive interview with UEFA.COM (Di Biagio and one player)

Saturday 15 June 2019

17:00 UEFA press conference at the Stadio “Dall’Ara”

17:30 training at the “Dall’Ara” in Bologna (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Sunday 16 June 2019

21:00 ITALY – SPAIN at the Stadio “Dall’Ara” in Bologna

Monday 17 June 2019

16:30 meeting with the press (player)

17:30 training at Casteldebole (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Tuesday 18 June 2019

15:30 UEFA press conference at the Stadio “Dall’Ara”

17:30 training at Casteldebole (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Wednesday 19 June 2019

21:00 ITALY – POLAND at the Stadio “Dall’Ara” in Bologna

Thursday 20 June 2019

16:30 meeting with the press (player)

17:30 training at Casteldebole (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Friday 21 June 2019

10:45   training at Casteldebole (first 15 minutes open to the press)

18:00  transfer to the Stadio “Città del Tricolore”

19:15  walk around at the Stadio “Città del Tricolore”  before then heading to the Hotel Boiardo

19:30 UEFA press conference at the Stadio “Città del Tricolore”

Saturday 22 June 2019

21:00  BELGIUM – ITALY at the Stadio “Città del Tricolore” in Reggio Emilia

Saturday 23 June 2019

Players depart from the squad should they be eliminated.

Olympic Play-Off

28 June 21:00 in Cesena

European Championship final 30 June 2019

20:45   Stadio Friuli in Udine