Between Leao, Yildiz and Neymar, who is Destiny Elimoghale and what do Juventus want to do with him

Usually playing above his age group and regularly facing older opponents, Elimoghale was promoted this year to Massimo Brambilla’s Next Gen and is therefore playing in Serie C, where he has made five appearances so far. The first team are now within touching distance and he could soon make his debut under Luciano Spalletti, who had also called him up for the match against NEC in the Europa League. "He has characteristics that suggest that in the future he can have significant development. But then you have to help him grow in the right way, give him the chance to gain experience at the right pace," the former Italy head coach said about him.

Alongside two other Italians on the prestigious list, Cassano of Como and Arena of Roma, who also have the Tunisian Bouaskar, Destiny is the great hope of Juventus and Italian football. Born in Turin in 2009 to a family of Nigerian origins, he came through Rebaudengo, an amateur club in his neighbourhood, before joining Juventus' youth set-up at the age of seven. From there, his rise has not stopped.

Thanks to his physical profile, over 180cm tall, and his technical quality, he drew comparisons with Rafael Leao. He is, after all, a left winger with a right foot who likes to start wide, look for one-on-ones and try the curling right-footed shot. His game is built on acceleration, dribbling, 1v1s, bursts and flashes of imagination that recall the best of Leao at AC Milan. Elimoghale can also play on the right, as an attacking midfielder or just behind the striker, although he still has plenty to improve in those roles. Above all in front of goal and in the final third he must be more clinical and find goals more consistently. His path is somewhat reminiscent of the one taken by Kenan Yildiz, who also arrived at Juventus at a young age, after his spell at Bayern Munich, and immediately managed to establish himself in the first team. The Turk is certainly a reference point for the 2009-born player, who has Neymar as his idol and model to follow.

For Juve, he is a treasure. For Italy, too. Elimoghale is progressing through every level of the Italy national team youth set-up. He first came into the orbit of the Italy Under-15s and later the Under-17s, with whom he played in the Under-17 European Championship and the World Cup at that level. He was then taken by Bollini to the Under-19 European Championship even though he was two years younger than most of his team-mates. A predestined talent with the objective of winning the Ballon d'Or in his mind.

Juventus want to keep hold of someone like him and protect him on and off the pitch. Destiny Elimoghale has an ironclad contract until 2028 and Juventus are banking heavily on him, so much so that they want to hand him a first-team debut soon. He is, and increasingly will be, the future of the club.