As Manchester United’s gamble on a 17-year-old Italian pays off, Steve Wilson wonders why clubs on the peninsula can’t have more faith in youth
Yesterday a 17-year-old won the championship for his side. But Inter’s winner was an own goal from Udinese’s Mauricio Isla – who is 20 – I hear you cry. Well, I’m not talking about Serie A. I’m talking about the Premier League and Manchester United’s Italian hero Federico Macheda.
The Roman teenager is the talk of the tabloids today after his injury time goal gave the Red Devils a win against Aston Villa. Had they dropped points yesterday the momentum in the title race would have been with Liverpool, as it is United look like, inevitably, going on to bag their 18th title.
But, isn’t it a little odd seeing a talented young Italian breaking out in England? Well, think back a couple of years and another, Giuseppe Rossi, was also introducing himself to the world as a 17-year-old in Salford. How often do we see teenagers given a chance at that age in Italy?
Okay, I grant you Mario Balotelli – but the fact that he is such an obvious exception to the rule highlights calcio’s problem with youth. Alexandre Pato was already a star when Milan signed him, while Sebastian Giovinco had to prove himself at Empoli before getting his Juve jersey.
Alberto Paloschi did enough in his rookie games for Milan to prove his worth. His reward? A loan spell in Serie B with Parma, while veterans like Andriy Shevchenko and Pippo Inzaghi take the squad positions in the Rossoneri’s attacking line-up.
The contract system in Italy allows Premier League clubs to pick off talent like Rossi and Macheda, but if teenagers in Rome, Milan and Turin see them given playing time at top English clubs while their counter-parts in Italy are farmed out to Serie B, where will they aspire to be?
There are signs of change. Jose Mourinho – an English influenced boss – has given Balotelli and Davide Santon chances at Inter while Anglo alumni Claudio Ranieri has blooded Juve’s youngsters but at Milan, particularly, the balance is too much in favour of experience over exuberance.
Granted, Macheda wouldn’t have been near the first XI if Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov had been available. But, there was no shock when the rookie was given his debut, over here we are used to kids being given a chance at the top rather than having to prove themselves.
Let’s not go over the top though, it was a superb goal but it is likely ‘Kiko’ will now go back to the reserves. And he wouldn’t be the first Italian monikered teen to be hailed as the next big thing at Old Trafford – remember Giuliano Maiorana? But it isn’t the player that matters, it’s the fact that he played.
The football machine needs to keep changing in Italy and Balotelli, Santon and Giovinco need to be the rule, not the exception. If they aren’t going to be given a chance at home then more and more of Macheda’s generation are going to end up going overseas to cut their teeth.
