CM: Ricci being kept out by Modric with Italy spot now lost – his situation

Samuele Ricci is not getting many minutes at the moment, with Luka Modric’s arrival having reorganised the hierarchies.

As Calciomercato.com report, perhaps this wasn’t what Ricci expected when he decided to move from Torino to Milan. So far he has three league appearances for a total of one hour of playing time, or an average of 20 minutes per game, with Luka Modric starting all six in the league.

Thus, Ricci has gone from being captain and a key figure for Torino to being a deputy with Milan, and he has lost his spot in the national team too. Gennaro Gattuso decided not to call him up for the October matches against Estonia and Israel.

The hopes for Ricci

Playing time is important, and getting minutes in your legs boosts chances of a call-up, but Ricci has Modric in front of him. It can do him good to train with him and watch him even though at the moment he isn’t getting much time to show what he is learning.

Massimiliano Allegri has no reason to not use a player of Modric’s class as long as his performances on the pitch are those of these first six rounds. The former Empoli man, therefore, is clinging to the Coppa Italia and the length of a season that should bring rotations.

European qualification – which this year seems like a formality – could give him much more playing time in 2026-27. However, the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico is over is on the horizon, and Ricci wants to be there.