The 18-year-old attacker from Sydney made his first Serie A appearance for AS Roma in a two-minute cameo off the bench during a 3-0 loss to Inter Milan this month.
It prompted talk Socceroos coach Arnold will offer Volpato a role in the crunch World Cup qualifiers against Vietnam on January 27 and Oman on February 1.
There are also reports Volpato could be called up for Italy’s under-19 squad.
However, Arnold on Monday said he will not gift Volpato game time in important matches for the sake of tying his allegiances to Australia.
The Socceroos sit third in Group B with four matches left to play, chasing a top-two spot that would qualify them directly for Qatar 2022.
“At the end of the day, the kid has to decide with his heart,” Arnold said.
“I’m not someone who’s going to want to bring him in and just throw him on the pitch for one minute … that’s not life.
“I don’t think that’s fair on emotion.
“After a conversation, the kid has to decide for himself what feels more comfortable on the heart.
“Is it the emu and the kangaroo or is it the Italian badge?”
Volpato says the decision on his international future is not an easy one.
“I was born and raised in Australia but my blood is Italian; it’s hard,” he recently told BeIN Sports.
Arnold said Football Australia has made it clear to Volpato that he is wanted by his country of birth and the coach intends to make contact personally, having been impressed by Volpato’s progression in Rome.
“The kid’s doing great,” Arnold said.
“He’s getting a chance with Jose Mourinho, one of the best, and Roma.
“He brings that X-factor that a lot of players don’t have; he’s someone that can change a game.
“He’s a player that’s not robotic who you have to tell every time which passes to play.
“He sees something different and that’s a specialty that a lot of players don’t have.”
- AAP
