5 young players in the Italy squad set to transform the Azzurri

#4 Andrea Petagna – Atalanta

A late arrival in the squad due to injuries elsewhere, even Andrea Petagna may believe this chance has come too soon, but defying the odds has been a running theme throughout his career.

The 21-year-old striker joined Atalanta in the summer and is yet another young player to benefit from the tactical flexibility of coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Before this campaign, the forgotten man in Milan’s recent production line of talent, which includes Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manuel Locatelli, had not scored in six Serie A games.

But, with the help of the 3-5-1-1 formation that Gasperini sets up with, Petagna has found his niche. He has scored five goals in 25 games, which may not seem like a lot, but given his previous record can be seen as a good start, and is now well in the reckoning for Ventura’s future revolution.