AC Milan were left impressed by Rokas Pukstas as he was the star of the show for Hajduk Split in their UEFA Youth League semi-final win over the Primavera.
Calciomercato.com recall how Pukstas was the star of the show for the Croatian side at the Stade de Geneve just over a week ago, shining under the eyes of Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara plus Geoffrey Moncada and two of his trusted scouts.
The 16-year-old was actually born in the United States and was part of academies that are attached to the MLS but in 2020 he became part of the academy that Barcelona opened in Arizona.
That proved to be the right step in terms of his development as he arrived in Europe in September 2020, choosing Hajduk Split because he was convinced both by the development project of one of the best youth sectors in Europe and by the possibility of rapid growth over time with a view to the first team.
He is a box-to-box midfielder with a knack for scoring goals with his runs, a bit like Mario Pasalic. This season he has already amassed 10 goals and 5 assists in 30 appearances, also having made his debut and playing steadily with the first team, with whom he has scored 4 of those 10 goals.
Milan scouts liked what they saw in the Youth League when his movement between the frontline and the penalty area saw Stalmach and Eletu struggle, and he even netted a header from a corner kick to make it 2-0.
However, Roma boast a direct collaborative relationship with Hajduk, signed in 2022 when Tiago Pinto and Luksa Jakobusic sanctioned the deal with the transfer of Mate Ivkovic to the Giallorossi for €500k.
In fact, a form of first refusal that puts Roma in first place in the race for Hajduk’s talents, and Pukstas is certainly the brightest.
