Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri could hand teenage starlet Moise Kean his full debut for the injury-hit Turin giants against Genoa tomorrow — even if he is secretly an AC Milan fan.
Kean, a powerfully-built striker, joined an elite group of 16-year-old Serie A debutants when he replaced Mario Mandzukic in a 3-0 win over Pescara last weekend.
On Tuesday Kean showcased his talents to a global audience when he made a late cameo in a 3-1 Champions League win over Sevilla that secured Juve’s ticket to the last 16.
Now, he could start alongside Croatia star Mandzukic at the Luigi Ferraris stadium — if Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain fails to recover fully from a thigh knock that kept him on the bench in Seville.
The Italian champions hold a seven-point lead over Roma and Milan ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Genoa and Allegri will definitely be missing striker Paulo Dybala and attacking midfielder Marko Pjaca.
Attacking options are limited and Allegri said after Tuesday’s game: “At the moment Pjaca and Dybala are still sidelined, so he (Kean) will be staying with the squad for the moment.
“He’s making progress. He’s had a few ups and downs, like all young players, but he’s on his way back after spending a little too much mental energy.”
Kean, who has been compared to Mario Balotelli, made such an impact at youth level that he was regularly moved up the age groups.
While videos of his skills have gone viral in Italy, a clip showing his older brother Giovanni has been featured regularly on sports websites in the past week.
As Kean walked on to make his Juve debut in Turin, Giovanni wept with emotion as he watched from the stands in Turin surrounded by applauding fans.
Later, he admitted that Kean is really a fan of Juve’s scudetto rivals Milan.
“When he was younger he used to support Inter, thanks to (Nigerian forward) Obafemi Martins,” said Giovanni Kean.
“Then he switched to AC Milan because our uncle, our mother’s brother, was a fervent Milan supporter and used to sit with us and show us all their games.”
The potential conflict is unlikely to worry Allegri, who steered Milan to their last league title, in 2011, but he is watching the Rossoneri’s progress this season a little more closely.
City rivals Inter are under pressure, the Nerazzurri facing the threat of Fiorentina four days after a 3-2 defeat to Hapoel Beer-Sheva eliminated them from the Europa League.
Inter are ninth, 15 points behind Juve but only eight behind Roma and Milan and winger Antonio Candreva believes they can still secure a top-two finish and automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League.
“It will be difficult, but we still have a chance. We want to be in the Champions League because we deserve it,” Candreva said.
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Today
Torino vs Chievo (1700), Empoli vs AC Milan (1945)
Tomorrow
Palermo vs Lazio (1130), Bologna vs Atalanta, Cagliari vs Udinese, Crotone vs Sampdoria, Genoa vs Juventus (all 1400), Roma vs Pescara (1945)
Monday
Napoli vs Sassuolo (1800), Inter Milan vs Fiorentina (2000)
File picture of Juventus’ coach Massimiliano Allegri.
