Andrea Pirlo left out of Italy squad for November friendlies
Italy coach Antonio Conte admits Andrea Pirlo's international career may be coming to a close after excluding the midfielder from his squad for this month's friendlies against Belgium and Romania.
Conte's 28-man Azzurri squad to play Belgium and Romania in mid-November has no place for Pirlo, one of Italy's most capped international players, while the likes of Manchester United's Matteo Darmian and Southampton's Graziano Pelle are included.
The 36-year-old's last match for Italy came in Euro 2016 qualifying, a 1-0 victory over Malta in early September, which helped towards their successful qualification as Group H toppers.
On Monday, Conte said in a press conference: "We already planned not to call him up. He's not been playing for two weeks now and I need to make my own evaluations.
"I rate him highly, he knows what I think of him, however, I have to be impartial in my assessments. He'll be 37 next year, let's wait and see.
"I have to start looking around and take into account the possibility that Pirlo cannot play any more for Italy. Nevertheless, I hope he'll give positive signals next March."
Contracted with Major League Soccer side New York City, Pirlo is set to play under new coach and former Arsenal and Manchester City star Patrick Vieira, who on Monday was confirmed to the role.