Ignazio Abate’s Primavera side are looking to make the UEFA Youth League final when they take on Hajduk Split, and captain Andrei Coubis will marshal the back line.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have provided some background on Coubis, who was born in the city of Milan to Romanian parents and recently chose to play for Italy, after accepting a call-up with Carmine Nunziata’s U20 team at the end of March. Previously, he had represented Romania’s youth teams.
He stands at 1.90m tall and is a giant physically compared to the opponents he faces. He has also become a staple of Abate’s side, making 25 appearances this season and scoring one goal in the Youth League against Salzburg. In the final four in Geneva he will once again lead the defensive unit.
Coubis joined the Rossoneri in 2019 and he played 38 games last season: 29 as a right-back and 8 as a centre-back, which has now become his role. After some difficulty in acclimatising, he conquered his spot and is attracting the attention of Pioli, who worked with him in the Austrian training camp in the summer.
Abate entrusted him with wearing the armband, marking opponents, winning aerial duels and managing defensive situations with confidence. However, the Primavera have been up and down in the league this season, as the two wins and two defeats in the last four shows.
Before joining Milan, Coubis played at Lombardia Uno, the same Milanese team in which Sandro Tonali started playing. The feeling is that the centre-back is on the cusp of making the step up having even been on the bench in the Champions League this season, and the game against Hajduk is a chance to show he is ready.
