Former Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli has earned a shock recall to the Italy training squad.
The 31-year-old was last called up in 2018, with a serious drop-off in form and a number of unsuccessful transfers pushing the ex- Reds star into the footballing wilderness.
However, with quality centre-forwards in short supply for the European champions, manager Roberto Mancini has turned to the Adana Demirspor man again.
Neither Ciro Immobile nor Andrea Belotti have completely convinced at international level for the Azzurri, that despite their prolific form in Serie A in recent years.
Balotelli and Mancini worked together at Manchester City, where they endured a rocky relationship at times.
When he moved to City from Inter in 2010, the striker was rated as one of the best young prospects in world football. However, he was unable to convert that potential into consistent form and he was subsequently moved on to AC Milan.
After 18 months back at the San Siro, Liverpool signed Balotelli in 2014 and were hopeful he would help fill the void left by the departing Luis Suarez.
However, Balotelli was unable to show his best at Anfield and scored a solitary Premier League goal in his only full season on Merseyside.
Since leaving the Reds, the now-31-year-old has moved around frequently, taking in spells with Nice, Marseille, Brescia and Monza before his switch to his current Turkish club.
Balotelli has been in fair form this season with eight goals in 19 Super Lig outings and it will be fascinating to see if he can cement his place in the Italy squad ahead of a crucial spell for the team.
The European champions are in a major battle to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year, as they face North Macedonia in the semi-final of their playoff bracket before a possible showdown with Portugal or Turkey in the final.
Those matches take place in March, with the current squad assembled for a special training camp to prepare
