Who is Gianluigi Donnarumma? £43m Manchester United target and 18-year-old AC Milan keeper who has been called up to Italy squad

HE made his Serie A debut at just 16, has been picked for Italy at 17 and is now primed to oust Azzurri legend and “idol” Gianluigi Buffon as the country’s No 1.

This is Gianluigi Donnarumma, the man-mountain phenomenon at the heart of the San Siro.

In truth it comes as no surprise that Italy boss Gian Piero Ventura – who at 68 is old enough to be Donnarumma’s grandfather – selected him.

The bearded 6ft 5ins keeper was the youngest keeper to start a match in Serie A when he made his Milan debut aged 16 years and eight months.

And he is now the youngest player to be called up to the national team since 1911.

Donnarumma wasn’t even born when Buffon played his first game for the senior Italy side.

The revered Juventus captain came on as a sub in October 1997; Donnarumma was born February 1999.

Wearing the 99 shirt, Donnarumma began his Milan career in 2013 when at just 14 he was signed for around £200,000.

It was former manager Sinisa Mihajlovic who handed the teenager his big break, against Sassuolo.

He recently admitted he regretted it, however, after the precocious star saved a 96th-minute penalty to deny new club Torino a draw against his old side.

Mihajlovic joked: “If I had known he was going to save the penalty, I wouldn’t have given him his debut!

“I know how good he is, he didn’t need to save the penalty to prove it.”

Donnarumma has called Buffon his “idol” and made no attempt to hide the fact his dream is to follow in the 38-year-old’s footsteps.

But the youngster is also his own man, earning praise for being a natural leader, unfazed by the hype and pressure surrounding his every move.

He is also physically intimidating, shrinking a striker’s view of the net through his sheer size.

As a young lad, his mum had to bring his birth certificate to every game – at 11 he was a foot taller than all the other players.

It has all led to praise from the man he most admires, with Buffon labelling his protege a “top keeper”.

The World Cup winner said: “He is definitely a top goalkeeper.

“To be so young and able to handle that kind of media pressure is important and rare.

“I’m happy, because he’s being protected and growing adequately, despite the enormous pressure that has been created for him.”

The extent of Donnarumma’s worth to Milan was clear when owner Silvio Berlusconi said earlier this summer he would turn down an offer of almost £70million for him.

Man United are reportedly willing to test Berlusconi’s resolve with a rumoured £43m bid for Donnarumma.

That would gazzump the world-record £33m fee for a goalkeeper that Juventus paid to sign Buffon from Parma 16 years ago.