Story first published by CaughtOffside.
As said a couple of weeks ago, last summer the Italian Serie A suffered a lost of class with the departure of a lot of famous players. However the future looks bright thanks to the quality of some young football players Here is the second part of young prospects who will probably leave their mark on 2012/13 Serie A.
Stephan El Shaarawy (A.C. Milan)
Arguably the most promising Italian player, along with “bad boy” SuperMario Balotelli. Competing with Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Pato and Cassano for playing time, the “Pharaoh” struggled to find space in his first season at AC Milan but still scored 4 goals in 28 appearances (only six of which he started).
This term, thanks to the Swede’s transfer and team-mates’ injuries, the 19-year-old player has the opportunity to show the world his class and he is not wasting it: his 5 goals in 7 appearances are pure oxygen for a team which is facing probably the worst crisis of its illustrious recent history. Italy’s head coach Cesare Prandelli has already rewarded him with his first call-up to the national squad, shortly followed by his debut in the team’s loss 2-1 to England in August. Last Wednesday, El Shaarawy also became AC Milan’s youngest ever Champions League goalscorer, after his strike against Zenit St Petersburg in the Rossoneri’s 3-2 victory.
Mattia Destro (A.S. Roma)
Scoring 12 goals in 30 appearances and helping Siena avoid relegation, last season Destro caught the eye of all major clubs in Italy and throughout Europe. Despite Champions Juventus’ interest, Mattia decided to sign for Roma, considering team coach Zdenek Zeman’s system – which is based mostly on attacking – the most suitable for his style of play. The 21-year-old has represented the Azzurri at every youth level and was included by head coach Cesare Prandelli in the 32-man preliminary squad for Euro 2012, but didn’t make the final cut. Like El Shaarawy, he earned his first cap in the Italian national team last August against England.
Philippe Coutinho (Inter Milan)
Despite signing a contract with Inter Milan when he was just 16, Coutinho joined the Italian team after he turned 18. Chairman Massimo Moratti welcomed him saying: “He is the future of Inter”. Unfortunately, due several major changes at the club in recent seasons and competition with talisman Wesley Sneijder for playing time, the 20-year-old Brazilian failed to impress Inter’s fans. After a six month loan to Spanish team Espanyol, where he scored 5 goals in 16 dazzling appearances, he is now ready to make his contribution to the Nerazzurri. With 2 goals in 4 appearances, the 20-year-old Brazilian has fully captured the support of new manager Andrea Stramaccioni.
Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
Along with Balotelli, El Shaarawy, Mattia Destro and Marco Verratti, Insigne forms the new generation of Italian superstars. After an astonishing season where he scored 19 goals helping Pescara’s historical promotion to the Serie A after 19 years, the winger has returned to Napoli with the tough task of filling the void left by the departure of fans’ favourite Ezequiel Lavezzi, who moved to PSG during the summer. Quick, skillful and talented, the 21-year-old is ready to “set fire” to the San Paolo, house of the most passionate supporters in Italy.
Erik Lamela (A.S. Roma)
Bought for £11.2m, Erik Lamela was A.S. Roma’s most expensive signing last summer. The Argentine impressed in his first Serie A season, scoring 6 goals in 34 games. Thanks to advice received by team-mate and Italian legend Francesco Totti and to the guidance of all-attack tactician Zdenek Zeman, he is hoping to do even better this term. And with 3 goals scored in 6 appearances so far, he couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Ciro Immobile (Genoa)
Along with Insigne and PSG’s new star Verratti, he was one of the key players of Pescara’s sensational season last year. An exceptional scoring record (28 goals in 37 games) put the 21-year-old striker firmly in command of Serie B’s goal charts. Co-owned by Juventus, last summer Immobile moved to Serie A team Genoa, where he will be forming a dreaming paring with Marco Borriello. With pace, strength, decent dribbling ability, a good shot and a great eye for goal, Ciro could become the top striker that Juventus have been looking for the past three years.
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