Due to a large number of absentees between the midfield and the defense, Juventus manager Max Allegri decided to bolster his ranks with another two youngsters from the Next Gen squad to join the trip to Empoli.
Alessandro Pio Riccio and Alessandro Sersanti will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Nicolo Fagioli, Fabio Miretti and Samuel Iling-Junior amongst others.
La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese offers us some insights on the two young Italians.
While the players share the same first name and age (21), they represent the different paths that lead the Juventus Next Gen squad.
We begin with Riccio, a young defender who has been a part of the club’s youth ranks from a tender age. The 21-year-old passed through Juve’s various age categories before becoming a staple with the Next Gen in 2021.
The centre-back has a contract until 2024, but the management should soon renew it until 2026. He has already featured with the first team during December’s friendlies.
On the other hand, Sersanti is a midfielder who started his career at Siena but struggled to make himself noticed. In the end, he had his breakthrough while on loan at Grosseto, and Juventus poached him from Fiorentina’s youth ranks in 2021.
The talented youngster should earn a new contract until 2025 in the coming weeks.
