Lazio president Claudio Lotito has denied Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma have been frozen out of the squad.

Neither player has featured in any of Lazio's games this summer and were left off the final Europa League squad list by team coach Davide Ballardini.

Lotito denied the pair are receiving unfair treatment.

He said: "Ledesma and Pandev are members of the team, they are not excluded.

"They have been omitted from the UEFA list because you have to make choices as you can only include 21 players.

"It is a choice made by the coach and the club accepts it."

Pandev and Ledesma failed in their attempts to leave the Biancoceleste over the summer, having handed in transfer requests to Lotito at the end of last season.