Wigan centre Oliver Gildart has pulled out of Italy's World Cup squad.
The 21-year-old, who was last week named Super League young player of the year, qualifies for Italy through his grandfather and was named in coach Cameron Ciraldo's 24-man squad before performing a U-turn.
"I gave it a lot of thought," Gildart told the Wigan Observer. "I really want to improve and I'm still only young. I think I need a full pre-season to try and get better for next year and try and push for the England squad."
Under new international rules, turning out for Italy this year would not have prevented Gidart from playing for England in the future.
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