AC Milan’s Primavera side, coached by Ignazio Abate, reached their second consecutive UEFA Youth League final four yesterday by beating Real Madrid on penalties in the quarter-finals.
As Calciomercato.com report, the result is really just a means to an end, and stands to prove that the work that has been done to rejuvenate the youth sector after some difficult years is bearing fruit.
Obviously we are already hearing a lot about Francesco Camarda and we will hear more about him in the future, despite the fact he actually struggled against Real Madrid, but he is not the only gem.
The goalkeeper Noah Raveyre, the midfielder and captain Kevin Zeroli, the wingers Filippo Scotti and Diego Sia plus defenders Jan-Carlo Simic and Davide Bartesaghi – both already seen in the first team – are just some of the names destined to make the leap.
It must be said, Milan are not achieving the same results in the league where they are five without a win, but the exploits in the Youth League are more formative than many head-to-head clashes lost on Italian soil.
As mentioned, the result is one thing but what counts is the wealth of experience that these young players are building day by day. If we add to this that Milan are ready to start the second team project, it could be an added accelerator to the development of some truly exciting talents.
Last year Milan lost in the semi-final of the Youth League, this year they will play with even more awareness including some players who were also on the pitch against Hajduk Split a year ago.
The certainty is that Milan are developing increasingly international talents, with an increasingly concrete possibility of truly achieving their dreams. Some might not make it at Milan, but they are forging a future.
Hire Abate!
I think Abate needs to switch to the U23 team if that gets off the ground.