Andrea Belotti keeps his Euro 2016 hopes alive and is very glad he chose Torino. “Simone Zaza and Manolo Gabbiadini sit on the bench.”
The Under-21 international has been unstoppable this year, scoring 11 of his 12 Serie A goals since January, making him a candidate for Antonio Conte’s Italy squad.
“I did not receive any calls, but everyone says I’m supposed to be going to the get-together on May 18,” Belotti told La Stampa newspaper.
Andrea Belotti keeps his Euro 2016 hopes alive and is very glad he chose Torino. “Simone Zaza and Manolo Gabbiadini sit on the bench.”
The Under-21 international has been unstoppable this year, scoring 11 of his 12 Serie A goals since January, making him a candidate for Antonio Conte’s Italy squad.
“I did not receive any calls, but everyone says I’m supposed to be going to the get-together on May 18,” Belotti told La Stampa newspaper.
“I am focused on ending the season in the best way with Toro. If the Italy call doesn’t arrive, it just means I’ll have to work even harder to achieve this dream.”
The decision to join Torino rather than a bigger club has perhaps been the key to Belotti’s success compared to other ex-Under-21 teammates.
“I strongly wanted to join Toro. I knew that I’d improve a great deal here and could take my shot at a year as first choice. I feel that I am on the right track, but I won’t get big-headed.
“I do believe I made absolutely the right choice. Zaza and Gabbiadini sat on the bench in the big clubs, whereas I found a sense of consistency and have improved in every aspect of my game.
“Torino have a clear project, which is to focus on young Italian talent and achieve ever more ambitious targets. In a Serie A campaign where Inter–Udinese kicked off without a single Italian on the pitch, that is important.
“At the start I wasn’t playing as much, but I still had to understand the tactics and new approach. Even when I wasn’t scoring, my teammates, the Coach and club were very supportive and gave me the necessary calm to keep going. They believed that sooner or later I’d bloom.
“Giampiero Ventura is a wonderful teacher and I hope he can stay at Torino.”