Focus on Pol Lirola: Juventus' next right-back
Juventus Primavera team coached by Italy 2006 World Cup hero Fabio Grosso have reached the Viareggio Cup final beating Spezia on penalties after a thrilling game ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Bianconeri’s youths have absorbed the shock coming from the second successive Youth League elimination in the group stages earning a Coppa Italia final against Inter and topping the Primavera Group A table.
Lot of interesting prospects are claiming the spotlight, but one of the most promising players of the team is the Spanish right-back Pol Lirola.
The product of Espanyol academy had joined Juventus on loan before the Old Lady made his move permanent for a fee of € 500K last summer. Lirola has been showing all his potential this season having scored three goals and registered six assists in 31 games.
The 19-year-old left-back style of play is very ‘Spanish’, which means he loves more galloping down the flank rather than being tasked with defensive duties, though he’s been improving a lot in the defensive phase too.
When Calciomercato.com exclusively interviewed him in January 2015 he admitted his idol was the Old Lady’s ‘Swiss Train’ Stephan Lichsteiner a Bianconeri’s cornerstone who’s definitely teaching the young Lirola the best interpretation of the right-back role in a league which is not as offensive and spectacular as La Liga.
Lirola has yet to make his debut in Juventus’ senior team, but with the Bianconeri who have been linked with a number of right defenders next season, they might well decide to save some money and let this promising Spanish footballer become the ‘new Lichtsteiner’.
Lorenzo Bettoni @lorebetto
Picture Credit: Spazioj.it
This article was published on the 3rd of March 2016. Meantime, Lirola has moved to Sassuolo on a two-year loan spell and netted his first pro goal against Athetic Bilbao yesterday.
