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Roma hold back Mancini and Molina from international duty
·9 November 2026·2h ago

Roma hold back Mancini and Molina from international duty

Source: Forza Roma

Roma have kept Mancini at Trigoria and decided not to send Nahuel Molina to Argentina, meaning Italy coach Mancini will be without the Roma defender for the matches against France and Belgium. Mancini returned to the club with problems after Italy's Nations League games in late September and early October, and Gasperini has never had him at full fitness. Before the Sassuolo match, Gasperini decided not to call him up, which left the Italy coach with no option but to forgo his presence against France and Belgium.

Molina is still serving a suspension for one match, following the reduction of his ban from seven matchdays to four. Roma's decision on Molina came on Saturday evening. Sending him to Argentina would have meant a long journey for just one of two friendlies, with the first test on Friday in Buenos Aires against Uruguay and the second in Córdoba against Costa Rica. Molina would then have had a long, tiring trip back to Trigoria, due next Thursday, which the club judged unworkable. The Argentine FA accepted the decision and will rely on Balerdi, Soulé and Castro.

The international break has long concerned club coaches, who are forced to accept few training sessions and plenty of injuries. Roma's approach reflects that problem: protecting fitness for the club's own schedule rather than releasing players for every national team request.

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Story Coverage2 sources on this story

Thirteen Roma players have been called up for the November international break, but Gianluca Mancini has withdrawn from the Italy squad with a muscular problem, and Roma have kept him at Trigoria. Forza Roma gives the fuller backstory: Mancini returned from Italy's late September and early October Nations League games with problems, Gasperini has never had him at full fitness, and he was not called up before the Sassuolo match. That leaves Italy without him for the games against France and Belgium.

Roma have also decided not to send Nahuel Molina to Argentina. He is still serving a one-match suspension, reduced from seven matchdays to four. Forza Roma reports that the trip was judged unworkable: he would have been flown out for just one of two friendlies, against Uruguay in Buenos Aires on Friday and Costa Rica in Córdoba, and then faced a long, tiring return to Trigoria due next Thursday. The Argentine FA accepted the decision and will rely on Balerdi, Soulé and Castro.

Manu Koné remains in Rome after returning from injury, and France coach Zidane has not called him up, so he will spend the break training with the club. Roma News describes Trigoria as empty while the other players travel to their national sides, and says the article sets out each player's fixtures by country, though those details are not included in the coverage. Forza Roma adds that the break frequently leaves club coaches with few training sessions and many injuries, which is why Roma are protecting their players' fitness.

AI synthesis of all sources below — always check the originals.

Testo Originale / Source Text

“La pausa per le nazionali, comunque, ha sempre preoccupato i tecnici delle squadre di club, costretti a prendere atto dei pochi allenamenti e tanti infortuni. In questo senso la Roma ha fermato Mancini, tornato a Trigoria con qualche problema dopo le partite con l’Italia di fine settembre e inizio…”

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

Read original on Forza Roma →

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