Mattia Liberali’s agent has praised the plans that AC Milan have put forward not only for his client but for other young talents within the squad, while also addressing the Phil Foden comparisons.
There was a name that stuck out to any in the starting line-up for the friendly against Rapid Wien this evening as Paulo Fonseca opted to give Liberali a chance to show what he can do. He played in the playmaker position behind Lorenzo Colombo for the first half.
Liberali was compared to Foden by Billy Costacurta, who watches the Milan youth teams. The comparison may seem bold but has a basis: there are similarities in the way of playing, even if the Englishman has excelled on the biggest stages.
Having been close to losing him to Benfica a year ago, the Milan management want to protect and develop the gems in their system and that is something the Milan Futuro project was created with the exact intention of doing.
MilanNews did an interview with Stefano Antonelli who – together with Ferdinando Guarino – represent Liberali as his agents.
Francesco Camarda is not the only talent Milan have, as we saw when Liberali took to the field against Rapid Wien…
“I am an admirer of Camarda, that said they are two young people of great talent, in different roles. And from what I can say I am sure that Mattia will have an important career.”
What stands out – especially in a period where players who beat their man seem to be dying out – is his ability to make the risky play…
“Look, I’ll make a comparison with another of my clients who resembles him in attitude: Destiny Udogie. He does at Tottenham the things he did with the Primavera 2 in Verona and Mattia is like Destiny in character, he doesn’t let himself be overcome by fear or the dread of playing with bigger and more famous players or by the surrounding environment. He’s an ambitious boy in terms of football but never arrogant, because he’s respectful of everyone, certainly aware of his qualities.
“I’ll tell you a story. After being called up to the first team we chatted a bit, he told me: ‘Everything is fine, there’s a good workload here, the intensity of the game suits my characteristics very well. And I think I can play it calmly with this group that has also welcomed me in an extraordinary way’. All with a disarming calmness.”
How would you describe Mattia in terms of character?
“Mattia is not one of those who wants to be the centre of attention regardless. He watches everything, observes and has the intelligence to manage the moments from time to time. He listens and doesn’t let anything escape him. And he has clear ideas. On the night of the match against Rapid he said he was very happy but the real moment will be in Serie A. Think about how focused he is at 17 years old.”
What plans do Milan have for him?
“Milan have big plans for him and the club itself is structured in such a way that a talent like his can emerge.”
Which team will he be part of?
“His level of expertise is the Primavera but Mattia is already dreaming of his debut in Serie A with Milan. And then there is Fonseca who is ideal for a young player on the launch pad. Just look at the recent explosion of Leny Yoro. Furthermore, this season Milan boasts of having the Under 23 and this could also be a plausible scenario during the season.”
Billy Costacurta even compared him to Phil Foden
“It’s not an exaggeration, just because of the way he plays. Foden is a player with incredible quality who you can’t place in a precise way. It’s him, with his quality, who during the game looks for a more suitable area to determine. The fact that the comparison was made by an icon of Milan like Costacurta is a further motivation.”
For a talented youngster there is always a lot of pressure to handle and not everyone is able to handle it. How broad are Mattia’s shoulders?
“As I said before, making the comparison with Udogie: nothing has changed for him, he is absolutely serene as he was when he played among a few close friends.”
Watching those UCL youth teams games, even though he was coming off the bench, right away was noticeable that he was technically superior to his teammates.
Let’s see if he is going to continue to develop and maximize his talent.
What do u think about Scotti? I like his technique in terms of shooting especially
Scotti is also really good.
Scotti is just as big a talent as Liberali. He is very explosive, gets past his man with ease and his final ball is excellent.
Italy needs players with technical skills. He also has right build for that.