Welcome to my new series, named ‘El Futuro’, where I talk about young players who are destined for the future that you may not know about. These will be players not just from the domestic leagues, but from across the world.
The first player that I will be talking about in this new series, is AC Milan and Italy striker, Patrick Cutrone, who has made an impressive start to this season in Serie A. The 19-year-old has been at the ‘Rossoneri’ (Italian for the Red & Blacks) since 2006, and has patiently waited for his chance to play for the first team. Fortunately for Cutrone, Milan manager, Vincenzo Montella has given him the opportunity to play regularly this season.
Cutrone made his first-team debut for AC Milan on May 21 earlier this year, coming on late in the second half in a 3-0 win at home against Bologna. But his name really came to fruition when he started in the first game of the new Serie A season last month in scoring and assisting in a 3-0 win away to Crotone. He then scored a week later at the San Siro in a 2-1 win against Cagliari. He has a better minutes per goal ratio this season than top quality strikers in the league in Gonzalo Higuaín, Mario Mandzukic and fellow Italian, Andrea Belotti. Including the goals he scored in pre-season, it looks to me that he has great composure, a great header of the ball, and is a poacher in front of goal. He has a similar style to Chelsea striker, Alvaro Morata.
He has done well to get game time in the AC Milan shirt, and willing to fight for a regular place. However, with the money that Milan have spent in the summer transfer window, he has a lot of tough competition to face. AC Milan have recently signed André Silva from Porto, Fabio Borini from recently relegated Sunderland, and have loaned in Nikola Kalinic from Fiorentina. The competition is there for Cutrone, but will he hide or will he thrive?
Knowing that Cutrone has been in the Rossoneri academy for a long time, the fans have already adored to him and will always support him through thick and thin. However, as we have seen with Gianluigi Donnarumma, when you don’t state your intent in staying, the fans can quickly turn as the faithful threw fake money at the 18-year-old goalkeeper during a game as he was looking to move to a new club for more money, but when you have a super-agent in Mino Raiola, it’s not surprising that it was reported that he was looking further afield from the San Siro.
With the World Cup coming up next year, there is a chance for Cutrone to play a big role for Italy, if they qualify. When they played against Spain in a World Cup qualifier earlier this month, they played two up-front but they really struggled in their defeat at the Santiago Bernabeú in Madrid. Ciro Immobile and Belotti played in that game, and it wouldn’t startle many if the Italy manager, Gian Piero Ventura, would change personnel for the first game in Russia.
Patrick Cutrone is one for the future and has amazing talent, but can he handle the pressure when it comes to big games, big moments, and big competition? This will be a big season for the striker, but I’m sure that he will have plenty of time to prove his ability and for his sake, become one of the best forwards in the world.