Francesco Camarda’s 2024-25 season has been an interesting one, and it could be set for one final chapter on Saturday night.
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As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, if that sliding door had opened in January, Camarda would have entered the San Siro pitch on Saturday night wearing the red and white jersey of Monza. Instead, he will do so once again wearing the red and black.
The Monza talks
It was a sliding door that Milan thought about for a long time. On one side, Fininvest’s Monza and old friend Adriano Galliani, on the other, continuing with Milan Futuro and some forays into the first team.
In both scenarios, complicated situations: Monza were struggling in the table, and the same was true for Futuro. Galliani actually at a certain point considered the deal to have been successful, as can be seen from his tight-lipped smile after the black smoke.
“Ibra still calls me ‘boss’, but after we agreed he said that for the boy’s path it was better for him to stay at Milan. I had to accept it,” he said. This was the choice of the Rossoneri and it is difficult, even with hindsight, to judge whether it was the right one.
Both Monza and Milan Futuro were later relegated, but there is a factor that probably goes beyond reflections on the most suitable shirt to wear in the second half of the year: Camarda should have, regardless, got more minutes in his legs.
The feeling is of a certain ‘incompleteness’. There has obviously been growth – also because at his age, with a necessarily minimal experience, growing is physiological – but he probably could have been better supported in managing the transitions between the first and second team, and vice versa.
The club, from what we understand, are still satisfied with the path undertaken and indicates Camarda’s season as a good example of the synergy between the two teams, just as the overall minutes with Futuro are evaluated in more than positive terms for the growth of the boy.
No cherry on the cake
Camarda amassed 190 minutes spread over 12 appearances with the first team between the league (nine) and the pride of his debut in the Champions League (three), a debut that made him the youngest Italian in the most important competition, as well as in the European history of Milan.
There could have also been a goal, but the god of football decided not to put that cherry on top of the cake, twice. His backwards header against Clube Brugge was disallowed for offside, while against Red Star the ball bounced off the crossbar (and was then put in by Abraham).
It would have been a great celebration, but it is not one goal – however iconic in proportion to age and context – that accelerates the growth of a 17-year-old (he turned 17 in March). That comes with everyday life, the progressive increase of minutes and experience.
With Milan Futuro, in Serie C, he registered 1,590 minutes across 20 appearances between the league (18) and Coppa Italia (two), with seven goals. But, looking at the season as a whole, two factors stand out that are questionable.
The first: Francesco was unable to take part in the relegation play-off against SPAL because he did not have the sufficient number of appearances (25 required) in Serie C. Needless to say, he would have been very useful for a team without the injured Magrassi and forced to field two forwards – Ianesi and especially Traore – who are not natural strikers.
The second factor is linked to the first: Camarda was unable to reach that level – as Davide Bartesaghi did, for example, in the last round – because he was often called upon by Fonseca and Conceiçao. The issue? He was then barely used.
For eight weekends, Francesco did not get a single minute of playing time in his legs for either the senior side of the Futuro, having been called up by the first team and on the bench from start to finish.
What the future holds
In fact, he made 13 appearances for Milan, but the total number of call-ups was much higher: 25. The management will therefore have to carefully evaluate how to manage him next season.
It will be interesting to know Igli Tare’s thoughts and it will be essential to understand the level in which Milan Futuro will play: there could be some (difficult) pretext to register again in Serie C, but if instead it were Serie D, how much could going down to amateur level help Francesco in his growth?
Another hypothesis could see him inserted in all respects into the first team squad, but then we would return to the usual question: the prospect of inadequate playing time. So, could the idea of a loan gain ground again? Monza, just as in January, could tell us something.