Gianluigi Buffon's Italy career is not over yet, according to coach Roberto Mancini.
It was thought the veteran goalkeeper had played his last game on the international stage, but Mancini revealed on Thursday he had been in conversation with Buffon.
"I've spoken with Buffon," said former Manchester City boss Mancini, whose side face Saudi Arabia on Monday.
"He wants to keep on playing and like every active player will be in consideration.
"I respect his desire at this time."
The team out on the pitch this morning for the first training session of the era! May 24, 2018
Buffon's most recent outing for his country was in a 2-0 friendly loss to Argentina, which followed on from the Azzurri's World Cup play-off defeat to Sweden.
Mancini's 30-man squad for the forthcoming matches against Saudi Arabia, France and Netherlands included a return for Mario Balotelli.
The trio of games represents the start of a rebuilding job after the nation's first World Cup qualification failure since 1958.
It is a task Mancini knows will prove difficult, but he remains confident.
"I'm not a magician, nobody is," he said. "In other times there was an abundance of quality.
"I am confident, however. This is a very young group that can develop a lot. Perhaps it will just take some time."
