Stoke City under 18s defender Laurence Giani has been named in Italy’s under 17 squad for this week’s qualifiers for the summer’s European Championships.
Giani, who turned 17 last week, has been included in the Azzurri’s 20-player squad for three fixtures in Croatia, including a finale against the hosts after clashes with Slovakia and Ukraine.
Italy commence their campaign on Wednesday (2.30pm) against Slovakia, before they face Ukraine on Saturday (11am).
Their Croatia clash takes place on Tuesday, March 25 (2.30pm) and, should they win the group, Italy will book their place at the summer’s eight-team finals in Albania and also secure their spot at the World Cup in Qatar in November.
Giani’s side comprehensively progressed from their first qualification group last year, with the defender earning his first cap during the November camp as he featured in defeats of San Marino and Wales.
The young Potter, who joined the Club as a nine-year-old, added four further caps earlier this year in friendly double-headers with Spain and Italy.
Giani, who qualifies for Italy through his father and paternal grandfather, was named in City’s first team squad for the Carabao Cup fourth round clash at Southampton earlier this season, while he has also featured in four PL2 fixtures for the Potters’ under 21s during the first year of his scholarship.
