Striker Totti not ruling out national team return

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ROME: AS Roma captain Francesco Totti has hinted that he may be open to a national team recall following the return of World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi.
Totti won the last of his 58 caps for Italy in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin before he dithered over whether to officially retire that summer and only did so in 2007.
Lippi recently declared that he will respect Totti’s decision to retire and that he has no plans to entice back the man who scored the last-minute penalty that beat Australia in the second round in Germany.
However, Totti told Sky Sports Italia that with Lippi back at the helm he would need to speak to the new coach before he changes his mind and that for the time being he is concentrating on his recovery from knee surgery.
“I have an excellent relationship with him, away from the field as well and we are often in touch with one another.
“It is up to him to see and for now I am only thinking about my recovery. I’ve not yet spoken to Lippi about this, we will have to weigh things up in the future.”
With Totti missing the last two months of the 2007-08-season, Mirko Vucinic was Roma’s only out and out attacker in the title run-in in which they finished second to Inter Milan.
Whilst the Stadio Olimpico club have strengthened their squad in the summer months, the 31-year-old is hopeful that another striker will be added and has high hopes that Fiorentina’s Romania striker Adrian Mutu will be lining up alongside him when the league kicks off on Aug 31.
“I hope that we sign a top striker. The important thing is that it is a player who can make a difference. I would take Mutu over everyone else. He would enjoy himself here,” Totti said.
“(John Arne) Riise and (Simone) Loria are two excellent buys. Riise is an international player and in his role Loria is one of the strongest players in Italy.”
It has been a long summer for Totti, who has been battling back from his knee injury with the Italian Super Cup against Inter on Aug 24 his target, whilst all the while haggling over a new contract with his current deal set to expire in 2010.
“The target (for his return from injury) is Aug 24, but the important thing is to return when I’m ready. I miss football, but even when I’m not supposed to, I will have a secret kick-about.
“The directors have always said that I will sign for life. My current deal ends in 2010, so this is the last year for renewing it.” – AFP