Meet Sandro Tonali, the Italian star being dubbed the ‘next Pirlo’ – and being chased by Man Utd
WITH flowing dark locks and a beginning at Brescia, it’s no wonder that Sandro Tonali is being compared with Andrea Pirlo.
The 19-year-old has been gaining attention for his performances in the middle of the park, and so the comparison comes naturally.
Following three years at Brescia, Pirlo went on to play for Inter, AC Milan and Juventus whilst winning the World Cup with Italy and earning a reputation as the King of Cool.
The significance of such a comparison won’t be lost on Tonali, who grew up in the town of Lodi, just south-west of Brescia itself.
With Italy national team boss Roberto Mancini having described the youngster as “incredibly gifted,” his reputation continues to gather pace.
But is he as good as the hype makes him out to be?
Even a quick glance at any YouTube highlights video would persuade even a casual observer to say yes.
Still a teenager, Tonali has the strength to hold off opponents and the skill to dance around them with the ball stuck to his feet like glue.
This is not a player who shows plenty of promise but is still a lightweight - his play already equal and above to that of a much more experienced professional.
His first season in Serie B started when he was just 16 years old, and saw him contribute two goals and two assists in 19 appearances.
The following campaign saw newly-installed boss Eugenio Corini – himself a former Brescia midfielder – make Tonali a regular feature in the centre of the park.
It was a move that paid off as in 34 appearances the youngster netted three times and provided seven assists, as Le
Rondinelle achieved promotion to Serie A.
Making the step-up to Serie A this season, Tonali has inevitably played some misplaced forward passes as he makes the adjustment to life in the top flight versus more adept defenders.
Yet he is still working with determination in order to win the ball back with tackles and interceptions, and not losing heart when his ideas don’t always work.
As with any young player, his game clearly needs some fine-tuning, and he will learn a lot in the tougher world of Serie A football this term.
It’s easy to make those comparisons to Pirlo, but in truth Tonali has all the skills to develop into a midfielder that is much better equipped to deal with the requirements of the modern game with teams often showing a tendency for pressing and a high-tempo style of play.
In this regard, the energy of this youngster will ultimately mean he won’t sit in front of the defence and be content to play the “regista” role that Pirlo made so famous.
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Rather than dictating the play from a more static position, he will get up and down the pitch, make a tackle, and out-dribble his opponents with the grace and style of a ballerina.
While Sandro Tonali is still light years away from a peak Zinedine Zidane, his ability on the ball is much more reminiscent of the Frenchman’s style than that of his bearded Italian counterpart and is certainly one to watch out for in the future.
Manchester United sent scouts to watch him in action during the 2-1 defeat to Juventus on Tuesday.
