The Under 21 coach Carmine Nunziatahe said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport his past with Nicolò Fagioliwho led both the Under 17 and Under 19 teams: “He was 16 years old – explains the coach, recalling his memory to the Under 17 days – I have him play against Montenegro and he scores, against Latvia and he scores. Her reports on her performance in Juve’s youth sector were clear and we had already seen certain qualities of her in the Under 15 and Under 16s. But on a physical level she was still a little behind. Everything was easier for him with his feet compared to other players of his age. But talent isn’t enough, he had something more: the intelligence to easily learn what to do on the pitch. At the time I used the 4-3-1-2, with a central striker and a wide striker, which was Riccardi: I needed quality behind them and Nicolò gave it to me. In the Under 19s I started to try it in front of the defense, a lot he could cover all the roles in midfield. She had a little bit of everything, like now. Serie C is educational, Serie B is even better for growing and arriving in Serie A as a possible protagonist.
In 2018, the Under 17 European Championship final with the Netherlands, I didn’t make him start: we were in the sixth game, I needed fresh people. Well, I put him on at the start of the second half and he made two assists. Someone who always gives everything on the pitch, and someone who gives everything in a group fits in very well.” Finally, a comment on the betting affair, which the Juventus midfielder has put behind him after a season off: “If you don’t have character and you’re not a mature guy, you don’t get out of a moment like the one he experienced. Instead he came out well: in life we can all make mistakes, it matters how you react and he was good. But as I had known him, I never had any doubts“.
