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Italy are going through a difficult period as a national team at the moment, and AC Milan hope to provide aid in the not too distant future.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, there is always talk about being the next Francesco Camarda or even Davide Bartesaghi. The fact that three Milan academy players were at the Under-17 World Cup, and two others qualified for the U19 European Championship suggests the future is bright.
Emanuele Sala
Sala seems to be the next in line. He the captain of the Italy Under-19 team, the brains of the midfield, and the player that the coach Bollini never does without. He has height and technical ability, two things that Massimiliano Allegri likes in his midfielders.
In fact, Sala is being particularly closely watched by Allegri, who even gave him his debut as a starter in the friendly draw against Leeds last August. Born in 2007, he played with his peers in the Primavera until last year. This year, however, he made the move to Milan Futuro in a tougher environment.
Massimo Oddo considers him a starter, and Sala has already responded impressively, scoring in the Coppa Italia Serie D in August. In terms of quality and performance, the youngster is one of the best prospects Milan has in its youth system, and a renewal is apparently coming.
Allegri has also called him up for a couple of Serie A matches (Pisa and Fiorentina) to address the injury crisis. In short, Sala is now part of the first-team squad. Matteo Gabbia even invited him to his birthday party last October 21st.
Alex Castiello
The other youngster in the U19 squad is Alex Castiello, who arrived this summer from the Atalanta youth system. Castiello is a second striker, sometimes playing as a winger, quick, skilled with dribbling and technically gifted.
With Milan he has scored two goals in nine Primavera appearances so far, while with Milan Futuro he also scored in the Coppa Italia Serie D. Big or small, he leaves his mark. He’s spoken highly of, especially since he received his first call-up from Bollini this year while wearing the Rossoneri shirt.
Milan are happy with the teenager and know they’ve made a good signing for the future. In the three European Championship qualifying matches against the Azzurrini, Alex played just 23 minutes. He’s born in 2007, so he’ll get plenty of playing time.
Alessandro Longoni
In the Middle East, there are three Milan players who lost in the semi-finals of the World Cup in their category with Favo’s U17 team: a goalkeeper, a midfielder, and a striker, all born in 2008.
Longoni is the number one, the starting goalkeeper for the Rossoneri Primavera and his national team. He conceded five goals in seven games but has saved several, even saving a penalty against Bolivia. Longoni also part of the Milan Futuro team but hasn’t made his debut yet for them.
His story is unusual: his grandmother gave him a minibike when he was little, and Alessandro began competing and winning some races. Then, realizing the dangers of the sport, she forced her grandson to switch to football, playing goalkeeper.
Fabio Pandolfi
Pandolfi is a dynamic, versatile midfielder who played 72 minutes in six games with the U17s, scoring one goal against Bolivia. He didn’t play in the semifinal against Austria.
He’s the one furthest behind the others in terms of his career: he started the season with Milan’s U18s and is now a regular in the Primavera, where he’s provided one assist in six games.
Pandolfi remains a valuable talent that the Rossoneri are banking on. He has acceleration, a high top speed and a wicked shot, though he needs to improve physically.
Simone Lontani
Last but not least, Lontani: a striker with six goals in seven games for Milan Primavera. He started five of the seven games for Italy’s U17 team at the World Cup, scoring a goal against Bolivia with a powerful right-footed shot into the corner.
He came on as a second-half substitute in the semi-finals. Lontani plays with his socks pulled down in 1970s style, is quick and has a good feel for goal. He grew up in the Cesena youth academy after starting his career in the amateurs and draws inspiration from Ronaldinho.
Any particular hobbies? Few besides football: “At six years old, I was already watching every Serie A and B game, and also LaLiga.” Getting some studying in ahead of time cannot hurt.
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