There is a particular player in the Primavera of Inter, who since last year is proving himself to be irreplaceable and is emerging as at least a group, on some occasions, for the First Team. The injury suffered by Carlos Augusto in the Champions League match against Young Boys, for example, could present an opportunity for this young talent.
Certainly, we all know Simone Inzaghi and we know that experimenting with very young players is not exactly one of his characteristics, but in any case, he might grant some parts of a match to one of the boys from Andrea Zanchetta’s U19. The profile we have drawn is of Matteo Cocchi, a 17-year-old player born in Imola on 1st February 2007 and who will turn 18 in a few months.
Given the injury of Carlos Augusto, which will keep him out until the end of November, and the condition still to be rediscovered by Tajon Buchanan, Cocchi could be included in Inzaghi’s call-ups in the next intensive cycle of matches, and hope for a debut with the colors of the first team.
Who is Matteo Cocchi, Inter’s Primavera winger?
What struck already in the 2023-24 season with Cristian Chivu at the helm was his precocity. Inter secured Cocchi by taking him from Bologna’s youth sector in 2021 for 500,000 euros. As a left-back, the Imola-born on two legs quickly established himself in the U19 team.
Chivu decided to bet on him, given the critical issues that emerged during the previous season on the left flank, where neither Pelematti nor the adapted Fontanarosa had provided the right guarantees. Cocchi was fielded as a starter from the first day of last year and the Romanian coach could not do without him, so much so that Cocchi already boasts 29 appearances in the Primavera.
Matteo Cocchi skills and characteristics
This year he started his season only in mid-September due to an ankle injury. Back for the Primavera championship match against Cagliari, he was mainly used in the Youth League where he scored two goals from the left-back position in the three games in which he was always deployed from the first minute by Zanchetta.
Regarding his characteristics, the 17-year-old’s strength lies in his running ability. He is known for his ability to cover kilometers on the left outbound, constantly supporting the offensive phase but also proving to be structured and solid in defense. With a good cross with his left foot, last year Cocchi took advantage of changes in Chivu’s line-up, which systematically switched to a 3-4-3 in attack. This allowed him to advance his area of action into the midfield, with the cover of the third defense behind, or even to talk to Di Maggio and Quieto offensive wings by taking their place in attack.
We will see if the progress made in the Primavera will lead to a possible jump to the First Team for Cocchi. We certainly do not imagine a permanent stay, but the possibility of being included exists, just like that of seeing the field, perhaps when the outcome is secured. A path similar to that followed by Ebenezer Akinsanmiro last year, before being loaned to Sampdoria this summer, starting promisingly.
