Moise Kean denies he is REFUSING to play for Italy’s under 21 side in the European Championships due to a lack of motivation after losing his place in the senior squad
- Moise Kean has been left out of Italy’s senior squad for this summer’s friendlies
- The forward has struggled for success on the field since bursting onto the scene
- The ex-Everton star’s career has been blighted by reported attitude problems
Moise Kean has denied reports that he withdrew from Italy’s latest under 21 squad due to a lack of motivation, according to a report.
The forward had been named in the squad for the side’s games against France, Switzerland and Norway this summer, but now won’t take part in the matches after a conversation with manager Paolo Nicolato.
The 23-year-old’s career has been littered with apparent attitude issues, and he has dropped down from the senior Italy squad and is tasked with working his way back in via the youth set-up.
But he is reportedly uninterested in doing so, and isn’t willing to play for the under 21 side again despite scoring five times in just nine appearances during his original stint.
According to Gazzetta, Kean cited poor motivation for his withdrawal, and has told officials that he doesn’t want to play in the U21 European Championships later this month – though he himself has denied the claims, branding the reports ‘fake news’ on his Instagram story with the words ‘don’t start’.
Moise Kean has refused to play for Italy’s under 21 side this summer due to a lack of motivation, say reports
Kean has withdrawn from the squad for friendlies and the European Championships, but denies it’s due to a lack of interest
Kean branded the story ‘fake news’ on his Instagram account, accompanied by the words ‘don’t start’
Though 23, Kean can still play for the U21s due to his date of birth and his age when the latest round of qualification began.
He had been omitted from Roberto Mancini’s Nations League squad for the upcoming semi-final against Spain, before a potential final or third-place play-off.
The reason for his omission is unclear, but is has been suggested that his poor form is the main cause for concern, with Leeds’ Wilfried Gnonto one of the forwards picked ahead of the 23-year-old.
After pulling out of the U21 side, he will instead spend the off-season preparing for the new campaign, which he will begin with Juventus after completing a permanent move from Premier League side Everton.
At one point it had seemed that Kean was set to be the next big thing in European football when he burst onto the scene as a teenager.
He jumped at the opportunity to move to the Premier League and joined what was at the time big-spending Everton in a closely-followed deal that could have propelled him to stardom.
He scored just two goals in 39 appearances for Everton after joining for £24.5million, before being shipped on loan to PSG and then Juventus with an obligation to buy.
He’s netted 14 times in 82 games for the Italian side since his return, and four times in 12 games for Italy since his debut in 2018.
The 23-year-old was touted for a big future when he joined Everton, but a move didn’t work out
He has since rejoined Juventus but has continued to struggle for consistency on the pitch
