Yahoo Sports GdS: Torriani and Liberali impress Fonseca – Milan’s plan for the immediate future
While the names of Kevin Zeroli, Francesco Camarda and Alex Jimenez were perhaps better known going into preseason, it is Mattia Liberali and Lorenzo Torriani who left the biggest impressions.
La Gazzetta dello Sport writes that the summer of 2024 has turned the spotlight on Torriani and Liberali. One is a goalkeeper, the other an attacking midfielder and, at 19 and 17 years old respectively, they represent the fruits of the work carried out by the younger age groups in the academy.
An incredible rise
The story of Torriani – who last season was third choice for Milan Primavera under Ignazio Abate – is almost sensational. He went on the USA tour found himself in the starting line-up against Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona due to Marco Sportiello’s injury.
Despite going from the bench with the Primavera to a showcase against the elite of European football, the teenager has taken to the role with disarming composure, with a serene state of mind, and tranquility is the best way to allow the best performance.
He made decisive saves throughout the three matches, including the one on penalties against Barça that allowed Milan to also win the third match of the tour. Last Tuesday, Fonseca also put him in the second half of the Berlusconi Trophy against Monza, and he made a great stop on Birindelli.
That game was also a showcase for Liberali, who is making fans dream as a classic interpreter of the trequartista role. In the Primavera he was used wider, now in the 4-2-3-1 of Daniele Bonera’s Milan Futuro he plays in the centre of the trident behind the striker.
Mattia’s talent is certainly not breaking news, because over the summer he already showed off his skills with the Italy U17 national team, with whom he won the European Championship as one of the leading men.
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What now?
So what does the immediate future hold for Torriani and Liberali? Torriani will be a full member of the team, officially included in the squad. He could even be Maignan’s deputy until Sportiello returns – evaluations are underway in this regard.
Liberali is theoretically assigned to Milan Futuro, with whom he had the pleasure of scoring his first official goal against Lecco, in the Coppa Italia C, but after the match against Monza Fonseca spoke about him in a way that suggests otherwise.
“Young players like Liberali, Zeroli and so on are part of the first team. We work together with Milan Futuro, the problem is that we have a lot of players now,” he said.
“We don’t have much space for players like him. But when we have space it’s important to let them play with us, it helps them grow. I think they have quality, we have to pay attention to them.”
In short, it’s easy to predict more than one call-up to the first team for Liberali, perhaps starting on Saturday against Torino. With the arrival of Emerson, Milan might often field an XI composed only of foreign players, but the future is very much Azzurro.
