Roberto Mancini tells Mikel Arteta exactly what he wants to hear about Riccardo Calafiori

Mikel Arteta will have been delighted with what he heard from Roberto Mancini after Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori scored his first Italy goal on Monday

Roberto Mancini has branded Riccardo Calafiori as a "leader" after the Arsenal left-back scored his first Italy goal during Monday's 3-1 win against Turkey.

Calafiori was introduced as a second-half substitute and produced a superb header from a free-kick to score Italy's second goal of the game and put his nation back in front.

Ex-West Ham forward Gianluca Scamacca had put Italy ahead before Aral Simsir equalised for Turkey. But after Calafiori restored Italy's advantage, Pio Esposito wrapped up the win late on.

It was a monumental night for Calafiori, who returned to former club Bologna's Stadio Renato Dall'Ara for the first time since he left the club to sign for Arsenal in a £33.6million fee in 2024.

Speaking post-match, Italy head coach Mancini jumped to praise the defender, saying he is a "leader" in three different ways, words that will no doubt be music to Mikel Arteta's ears.

"Riccardo Calafiori is already a leader, in technical, physical and intellectual terms, absolutely," said Mancini of the Arsenal left-back after his first senior Italy goal.

Calafiori then credited Leonardo Bonnuci for his role in his goal, admitting that the Italy and Juventus legend deserves a "special mention" for allowing him to go up for the set-piece.

"This afternoon, I had told Scamacca when we were sunbathing that he would score, and it went well, for both of us!" Calafiori told Sky Sport Italia after the win against Turkey.

"It was all written in the stars, as I made my debut here, scored my first goal, I owe a lot to this city and these fans. I wanted to repay them, it was emotional. I hadn’t felt a game like this in my stomach for a long time, it really hit me, I was very emotional."

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He added: "We are trying to improve, as we can do better in every aspect. Actually, I have to confess that Bonucci told me initially to stay back, but at the last second he went, “actually you go and [Michael] Kayode stay behind.

"It was a smart intuition and so Bonucci deserves a special mention, especially as he’s quite egocentric and wants me to say that."

After featuring in three of Italy's four matches during the extended international, Calafiori is now due to return to Arsenal's Sobha Realty Training Centre ahead of club football coming back.

The Gunners return to action when they face Leeds United at home on Saturday. They then host Lille in the Champions League before making the trip to Nottingham Forest.