Sinisa Mihajlovic has already promoted a number of youngsters to the AC Milan first team squad, Louis Gibberd-Thomas asks is Manuel Locatelli the next to make the step up?
Fans of AC Milan are still reeling from the arrival of 16 year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the youngster already considered the first choice shot-stopper by coach Sinisa Mihajlovic. It seems the former Inter and Lazio defender is going to delve into the club’s Primavera section once again. Impressed by what he has seen under the tutelage of Cristian Brocchi, fans could have an unlikely advocate for their youth scheme in Mihajlovic.
For the Rossoneri hierarchy, this is exactly what they are after. However, it is surprising that it would occur under Mihajlovic rather than former Primavera coach Filippo Inzaghi. Pippo may have nurtured and conditioned the majority of the Rossoneri youngsters in the Primavera, but they played no part in his squad selection as coach of the first team. Mediocre performances from an underachieving squad prompted little reaction from Inzaghi, who, perhaps admirably, stuck by his first team players and didn’t turn to youth.
Something of a polar opposite under Mihajlovic, who has already deemed it necessary to promote Davide Calabria and the aforementioned Donnarumma to the first team. The former hasn’t featured as prominently as Donnarumma, but he’s still made a handful of appearances at right-back, deputising for the injury-prone Ignazio Abate.
This was seen as a necessary step with Cristian Zaccardo leaving and Mattia De Sciglio moving to left-back. The decision to promote Donnarumma is far more debatable, as Diego Lopez was largely let down by poor defending but did make a number of mistakes between the sticks.
So the question is: who will be next? All signs point to midfielder Manuel Locatelli. The 17 year-old is vice-captain of the Primavera squad behind Bolivia international Sebastian Gamarra, both of whom joined the Primavera squad last year. An astute, creative midfielder who closely resembles first team captain Riccardo Montolivo with his style of play, Locatelli could be the man to demote Montolivo to the bench in the near future.
Mihajlovic marked his interest in Locatelli following the club’s victory in the San Nicola Trophy, a three-way tournament contested by Inter, Bari and Milan. Locatelli was singled out by Mihajlovic for his quality performances, claiming he had wanted to see him play to garner a greater understanding of his potential.
Locatelli is renowned for his passing, something which could be instrumental in fashioning a first team opportunity. Where last season it was largely the defenders that under-performed, this season has uncovered serious shortcomings in midfield.
Starved of creativity and missing that drive to win the ball back, the Rossoneri midfielders have been caught trying to fulfill both roles; largely unsuccessfully. The likes of Nigel de Jong and Jose Mauri have barely had a look in this campaign, with Mihajlovic desperate for his players to contribute in all areas.
The creative card has been juggled between a number of figures, including Montolivo and more successfully Giacomo Bonaventura. Even summer-signing Andrea Bertolacci has tried his hand, but all have been largely hit-and-miss performances from a disjointed midfield unit.
The consequences have been crippling to a star-studded attack. The strike-partnership of Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano may be the best since Zlatan Ibrahimovic was at the club, but neither can fashion their own chances as effectively as the Swede.
To some extent the pair have been trying to create goals for each other, with the shift in formation seeing Alessio Cerci take this responsibility. However, no matter how much each attacker contributes each game, it is the responsibility of the midfielders to create the bulk of the chances for the forwards.
This is where Locatelli comes in. If the individual performances of Montolivo continue to disappoint, then Mihajlovic may be forced into fielding the youngster. It would be a risk, just as it was handing Calabria and Donnarumma their first team debuts.
Should this experiment prove unsuccessful, then the worst that can happen for Locatelli is a loan spell to develop; which truthfully isn’t that bad. With the positive reception granted to Calabria and Donnarumma, few can imagine supporters complaining at the inclusion of Locatelli in the starting-eleven; particularly at this stage.
To justify any inclusion of a Primavera player demands stiff reasoning, in this case, Milan need a new creative spark. Locatelli has been displaying a wonderful aptitude for finding a pass at youth level, showcasing brilliant first-time long balls where applies enough weight on the pass to make it a dangerous one. Such a scenario would have the club’s strikers begging for a change in midfield, because despite the enormous price tags and monstrous wages, it just isn’t working.
