Mario Balotelli's Italy recall is not down to desperation, insists Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini has defended his decision to recall Mario Balotelli to the Italy squad just two months before their crucial World Cup playoff.

Balotelli, 31, hasn't played international football for nearly four years but was invited to join the Azzurri's three-day training camp in Florence.

The striker is currently playing for Turkish side Adana Demirspor, scoring nine goals in 19 league appearances this season.

Some critics believe Mancini has selected Balotelli out of desperation, with Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti both struggling to deliver on the international stage.

The former Manchester City manager, however, has dismissed those claims.

"Am I playing a desperate card? No," said Mancini on Wednesday. "If that desperation is the same as that before the European Championship, then that's fine.

"But that's not the situation here. Over the next few days we'll try different things and evaluate players that have not been called up for a while, like Mario, and others that are new."

Balotelli is viewed as one of the great mavericks of his generation, experiencing plenty of highs and lows since emerging at Inter Milan nearly 15 years ago.

Since then, he's won the Premier League, Champions League and three Serie A titles - yet he's not lifted a major trophy for nearly 10 years.

He's briefly prospered at AC Milan and Nice but struggled at Liverpool and Brescia.

Now, in the space of 12 months, he's gone from playing in the second tier of Italian football with Monza to being part of the national squad.

Few managers know Balotelli better than Mancini, who signed him for Man City more than a decade ago.

"On a technical level, he was always good, that's not up for debate, we just need to see how he is physically," said