Ferrara named Italy under-21 boss

Former Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara was on Friday named as the new Italy under-21 boss, replacing Pierluigi Casiraghi.

Ferrara spent just eight months in his first senior coaching role with the Old Lady of Turin before he was fired in January following a string of unimpressive results.

Casiraghi’s reign with the under-21s came to an end after they missed out on qualification for the 2011 European Championships and London Olympics in 2012 at the hands of Belarus.

Ferrara, a former Napoli and Juve defender, signed a two-year deal and will be assisted by his former team-mate Angelo Peruzzi.