Crystal Palace defender Honest Ahanor has been left out of Italy’s squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League clash against France, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.
Ahanor, who was born in Aversa, Italy, is eligible to represent the Super Eagles through his Nigerian parents.
His omission from the Azzurri squad means he will not become cap-tied to Italy during the October 2026 international window.
The Atalanta loanee is among nine players omitted from the travelling squad to Saint-Denis, alongside Nicolò Cambiaghi, Diego Coppola, Daniele Ghilardi, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Rolando Mandragora, Massimo Pessina and Alessandro Romano.
Ahanor has two senior caps for Italy, both coming in summer friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece.
He therefore needed to feature in two more matches this month to exhaust the number of senior appearances permitted under Fifa's eligibility rules for players under 21.
Under Fifa rules, players can change their international allegiance provided they have made no more than three senior appearances for a national team before turning 21.
Ahanor remains eligible to represent Nigeria at senior level and would only become cap-tied to Italy after making his fourth senior appearance for the Azzurri.
Another Italian-born defender of Nigerian descent, Brentford’s Michael Kayode, is no longer eligible to represent the Super Eagles following his competitive debut for Italy in their 4-1 win over Turkey on September 28.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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