6 players sent home from Italy camp after World Cup loss as retirements expected

Italy boss Roberto Mancini has allowed six players to leave the Azzurri training camp following their shock World Cup playoff defeat to North Macedonia, with half of those now tipped to retire from international football.

The reigning European champions are still reeling from their 1-0 defeat in Palermo on Thursday night, with the four-times winners now absent from their second successive World Cup having missed out on Russia in 2018.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, Lazio forward Ciro Immobile and Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne, who will join Toronto FC this summer, were all heavily criticised by Italian media following the defeat, and all three have now left the camp ahead of Tuesday's friendly against Turkey in Konya.

Italian publication Corriere dello Sport claim that all three are now considering their futures with the national team, with Insigne and Jorginho struggling for form and Immobile not suited to Mancini's tactical system.

A further three players, Marco Verratti, Domenico Berardi and Gianluca Mancini, who is no relation to Roberto, have also been allowed to return to their clubs, although they are merely being rested.

Jorginho was hit hard by the defeat to North Macedonia, and immediately after the match on Thursday he tearfully admitted that he was still thinking of his two missed penalties in the group stages against Switzerland which ultimately cost Italy dear.

"It hurts when I think about it, because I do still think about it and it will haunt me for the rest of my life," he told RAI Sport.

"Stepping up there twice and not being able to help your team and your country is something that I will carry with me forever, and it weighs on me. People say we need to lift our heads and carry on, but it's tough."

On the match against North Macedonia itself, he added: "It is difficult to explain what happened. It hurts so much.

"I'll be honest, I am still incredulous. I don't think we lacked creativity, as we always dominated matches and created so many chances. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish them off.

"We played good football, we won the European Championship last summer, but unfortunately in the last few games we made small errors and were unable to recover from them. They made the difference."

Mancini, meanwhile, has refused to countenance the possibility of quitting in the face of fierce criticism, including from his own mother.

"We will see. I think everyone is too disappointed right now to talk about the future," he said after the match. "I have to say, I care more for my lads now than I did in July.

"This is such a tough moment, my affection for them is immense. It's too early to say what happens next, as there is such disappointment, but at the same time this is a squad of great players with a bright future."