Soccer-Italy striker Kean ruled out of World Cup qualifiers
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Nations League - Quarter Final - Second Leg - Germany v Italy - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - March 23, 2025 Italy's Moise Kean reacts after Germany's Jamal Musiala scores their second goal REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen/File Photo
(Reuters) -Italy manager Luciano Spalletti will have to plan for his side's opening World Cup qualifiers without Moise Kean after the striker left the squad's training camp due to a thigh injury on Thursday.
Kean has had the best season of his career, scoring 19 Serie A goals for Fiorentina having failed to find the net once at Juventus in the previous campaign.
The 25-year-old started both legs of Italy's Nations League quarter-final against Germany in March and scored twice. Mateo Retegui, last season's top scorer in Serie A, is expected to replace him in the team.
Italy, who have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, begin their Group I qualifying campaign away to Norway on Friday, before hosting Moldova on Monday.
Spalletti has also lost midfielder Manuel Locatelli and defender Matteo Gabbia to injury, and Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi withdrew from the squad on Sunday.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
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