It’s pre-season, guys. Don’t forget.
I always think back to a pre-season under Allegri when we played Arsenal at the Emirates and Verdi played really well. Back then, we looked really good – young and fresh. I thought at the time that this was the moment when we’d start playing modern, fresh football and rejuvenate the squad.
Well. It came to nothing.
Or do you remember Cutrone’s breakthrough game against Bayern? Well, the following season was still shit anyway.
Don't disagree with your broader point, but do want to make this comment-
Verdi in a lot of ways is a perfectly example of how Italian football in general and Milan specifically have screwed up player development.
Verdi showed serious flashes in preseason, but never got a real run of play with the senior team. Then co-ownership, loans, etc. Years later, played very well at Bologna and earned a 25 million Euro move, after which he fizzled.
To me, this is the exact time of players that losses out in Italy vs elsewhere- while there are late bloomers, the biggest difference between top players and average ones is getting minutes at a young age and really being pushed when they're like 17-21. A player like Verdi that eventually got to the point where he was good enough to score 10 goals and earn a 25 million move indicates that he legit had talent, and is the profile of a player that if he got thrown into the fire when he was showing major flashes could have taken a next step that he never did.
Sure, its not a magic bullet, and he might not have made it to the next level even with that chance, but giving talents like that the opportunity is how high end players are created.
