In the beautiful towns of Lucca and Pistoia in Tuscany, Italy, the finals of the Primavera Championship, a tournament for Under-20 teams from across the country, are in progress. This year teams from AC Milan, Roma, Lazio, Genoa, Fiorentina, Atalanta, Juventus and Varese made the cut.
The Primavera Championship offers the perfect opportunity to spot Italy’s next generation of talent and a fresh look at those already identified as promising. Inside Futbol’s Luca Ferrato runs the rule over the best of the youngsters on show:
Mattia Perin (10/11/1992) – Goalkeeper – Genoa
Young goalkeeper Mattia Perin was born in Latina – not far from Rome – and made his Serie A debut in the closing moments of last season against Cesena. Simply oozing self-confidence and with fine technical abilities, Perin also turned out for the Italy Under-21 team under the management of Pierluigi Casiraghi. The keeper is certainly one to watch.
Michele Camporese (19/05/1992) – Full back/Centre back – Fiorentina
Michele Camporese is a skillful defender who usually operates in the centre of defence. In his younger years, the Fiorentina man turned out in midfield, but has now been shifted to a full back role, which he has quickly mastered. Already with Serie A experience under his belt – Camporese has played nine games, making his debut in November 2010 at the San Siro against AC Milan – he scored his first senior league goal in February against Palermo, in a game Fiorentina won 4-2. The youngster won a Coppa Italia with Fiorentina Primavera last April.
Diego Polenta (06/02/1992) – Full back/Centre back – Genoa
A Uruguayan international who played in the last Sudamericano Under-20 tournament, Diego Polenta was one of the mainstays of a Genoa team that won the Primavera Scudetto in the 2009/10 season. Outstanding last September when the Rossoblu crushed AC Milan (5-0) in the Primavera Super Cup, he is now well and truly ready for first team football next season. Polenta has drawn comparisons with another Uruguayan defender who represented Juventus and Atalanta with distinction in the 1990s – Paolo Montero.
Manuel Giandonato (10/10/1991) – Midfielder – Juventus
Manuel Giandonato stands out as a promising midfielder, having won a Viareggio tournament (one of the most important youth competitons in world football) last year with Juventus. Giandonato made his Serie A debut in February 2010, appearing against Livorno and this season clocked up four senior team games – two in Serie A and two in the Europa League. The midfielder stood out in a recent testimonial match held for Manchester United defender Gary Neville, scoring a beautifully placed free kick. He must watch his temper though – he was sent off against Chievo Verona last season.
Alexander Merkel (22/02/1992) – Midfielder – AC Milan
The lion’s share of the plaudits for AC Milan’s Scudetto win this season rightfully went to stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Robinho – but the Serie A triumph was also very much a squad effort. German midfielder Alexander Merkel played six times in Serie A last season. Born in Kazakhstan, Merkel also scored in the Coppa Italia against Bari and generally impressed with his intelligent play. Expected to feature in Milan’s first team next season.
Filippo Boniperti (27/09/1991) – Forward – Juventus
The nephew of Giampiero Boniperti, the ex-Juventus player and president, and a club legend, Filippo Boniperti is doing his best to follow in some big footsteps. A promising forward who played against Manchester City in the Europa League, he made his debut in Serie A in the final match of the season, a 2-2 draw with Napoli in Turin. Skillful, quick, and with good strength on the ball, Boniperti looks a fine talent. However, he is not Juventus’ “new Alessandro Del Piero”.
Giuseppe De Luca (01/01/1991) – Forward – Varese
This season Varese were a surprise package, and not just in Serie B – the Biancorossi as a newly-promoted side reached the playoff semi-finals – but also in the Primavera, as their team topped their group for the entire season and reached the finals in Tuscany. Varese also produced a superb display in the Viareggio tournament in February and one of the side’s stars was Giuseppe De Luca. A promising forward who found the back of the net with ease, De Luca is concentrating scouts’ minds. Giuseppe Sannino, Varese’s senior team manager, is a big fan and hopes the youngster can play in Serie B as soon as possible.
