Gattuso plots Verratti idea for Italy’s World Cup play-off campaign

Saturday’s reports claim that Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluigi Buffon have met with former PSG midfielder Marco Verratti to discuss a potential return to the Italy national team for the World Cup play-off campaign in March.

Verratti: Italy comeback on the cards?

Verratti, 33, is currently in Qatar with Al-Duhail, whom he joined from AL-Arabi over the summer. The diminutive midfielder had spent 11 years in Ligue 1 with PSG before moving to the Middle East.

Despite the fact that he has not represented the Italy national team since 2023, reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport claim that Buffon and Gattuso have met with Verratti and discussed the possibility of a sensational Azzurri return in March.

ENSCHEDE, NETHERLANDS – JUNE 15: Marco Verratti arrives before the UEFA Nations League 2022/23 semifinal match between Spain and Italy at FC Twente Stadium on June 15, 2023 in Enschede, Netherlands. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Saturday’s report claims that Gattuso and Buffon made the trip over to Qatar shortly after a recent visit to Saudi Arabia, where they met with Al-Qadsiah’s Mateo Retegui.

The feeling is that Italy has lacked a deep-lying playmaker since the days of Verratti and Jorginho, and that the 33-year-old is still able to do a job for the national team. A final decision has not yet been taken. Saturday’s report claims that the discussions with Gattuso are purely ‘exploratory’ at this point.

Among the regulars in Italy’s midfield department over the last two seasons are Sandro Tonali, Niccolo Barella, Davide Frattesi, Manuel Locatelli, Samuele Ricci and Nicolo Rovella.