Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Antonio Cassano fitness a concern for Sampdoria coach Vincenzo Montella

Sampdoria coach Vincenzo Montella has warned Antonio Cassano that he needs to work on his fitness as he cannot expect any preferential treatment this season.

Cassano's former Roma teammate Montella was recently appointed as Walter Zenga's replacement at Sampdoria.

But the 33-year-old was only used as a substitute in the Blucerchiati's 1-0 defeat to Udinese at the weekend, and after that game Montella said he could not have given him more of a game.

"He's not fit enough," Montella said, reports Genovese television channel Primocanale. "He's got the potential and he's got the desire, so it's up to him. His physical condition has got to improve. It's going to take time and only time will tell whether he still wants to be a protagonist.

"In the past four months, his teammates have trained and improved their condition, and now he has got to improve his own."

Cassano spent the first half of 2015 keeping himself fit after leaving bankrupt Parma in a row over unpaid wages.

He eventually joined his former club Sampdoria in August, when preseason training had effectively been concluded and the Genovese club had already been knocked out of the Europa League.

Since then, the former Italy international has been playing catch-up, yet he was unable to convince Zenga of his worth and made only rare substitute appearances before his sacking.

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