In Birmingham, where Aston Villa have been trying to steady a season that began badly, Matteo Ruggeri has found an unexpected route back into the international picture. The 24-year-old left Atlético de Madrid for Villa in the summer after only one campaign at the Metropolitano, and has now been added to Italy’s squad following Federico Dimarco’s injury.
Ruggeri’s move from Spain came after a difficult year in Madrid, where his performances did not meet the expectations surrounding his arrival. At Villa Park he joined Unai Emery’s group facing another immediate challenge: although Lucas Digne had departed, Ian Maatsen was initially the Spanish coach’s first choice on the left side.
Maatsen’s injury has altered that hierarchy and given Ruggeri a run in the side. The left-footed defender has completed the full 90 minutes in each of Villa’s last two matches, both victories, offering a measure of relief after the club’s poor opening to the campaign.
Those displays have brought an international reward that had not appeared likely at the start of the break. Ruggeri was not included in Roberto Mancini’s original Italy selection, but Dimarco’s absence created a vacancy and the Villa player was chosen as his replacement.
Italy have as many as four matches during this international window, giving Ruggeri an opportunity to make his case beyond an emergency call-up. His selection has raised eyebrows in his homeland: he was not a regular starter at Atlético and has only moved ahead at Villa because of Maatsen’s fitness problem. Yet Mancini appears to hold the defender in higher regard than Gattuso did, and Ruggeri now has a chance to turn a brief opening in the Midlands into a more permanent place with the Azzurri.
