Alberto Aquilani wants to play for Italy again
Alberto Aquilani is eager to play for the Italian national football team again. The 26-year-old midfielder expressed his desire to don the national colours after being loaned by Liverpool to Juventus this season.
"I came back to Italy to rediscover visibility, the continuity of playing and the national team. For now, the important thing for me is to play consistently. When I do that, I believe I can get back in the national team."
"(At Liverpool) I paid for an injury, but also the lack of playing consistently," added the 26-year-old, who transferred to the Merseyside club after playing seven years with AS Roma.
Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri said Aquilani has improved after playing overseas.
"He's always had technical qualities, but now he's matured from a tactical point of view."
Aquilani was a product of the Roma system. He declined offers from English Premier League clubs Chelsea and Arsenal in 2001, as he wanted to continue playing for the Roma youth squad.
Aquilani made his senior team debut at the age of 18 in 2003. He was loaned to Serie B club Triestina the following season to gain experience. Aquilani returned to Roma in 2004-05 and became a regular member of the starting line.
The Italian transferred to Liverpool in August 2009 for a fee of 20 million Euros, plus bonuses. He signed a five-year deal with the Reds and featured 26 times in his first season, but rarely played the full 90 minutes.
This August, Liverpool agreed to loan Aquilani to Juventus to give him more playing time.
Aquilani made his senior national team debut in 2006 and played in the 2008 Euro Championships. Despite playing well in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Italy manager Marcelo Lippi left out Aquilani from his 23-man roster for the final in South Africa.
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