Former Milan midfielder showcases his talents at Euro 2020

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Manuel Locatelli

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Manuel Locatelli is amongst the leading scorers at Euro 2020 with Italy, following his excellent brace of goals against Switzerland. His form and performances at the tournament are also a stark reminder for Milan, who have arguably come to regret selling the hugely talented midfielder to Sassuolo in 2018.

Given the flying start Italy made at Euro 2020, comfortably winning all of their encounters in Group A, the national team led by Roberto Mancini look in rude health. The Gli Azzurri got off to a flying start by beating Turkey 3-0 in Rome, then repeated that score with another comfortable triumph against Switzerland, before a much less impressive looking 1-0 against Wales.

Along with demonstrating their capability as potential tournament winners, Italy already boasts two of the leading scorers at the tournament. Lazio striker Ciro Immobile rates highly in the Euro 2020 top scorer odds listed at the Betfair betting exchange, having scored goals in each of the first two matches.

Despite scoring twice for Italy against Switzerland, the chances of Locatelli being a surprise contender to top the Euro 2020 scoring charts is unlikely. Prior to that game, the 23-year-old had only scored one international goal, which came during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria in March this year. He now has 3 goals in 12 appearances.

Locatelli enjoyed fine form throughout the 2020-21 season in Serie A, helping Sassoulo finish 8th in the final league standings, contributing 4 goals and 2 assists in 34 appearances. This undoubtedly helped Locatelli earn his place in the Italy squad, after debuting with the national team against the Netherlands in September 2020.

Now regarded as a key starting player for Italy under the leadership of Roberto Mancini, numerous leading clubs will undoubtedly be carefully monitoring the progress of Locatelli. His value according to Transfermarkt has rocketed since departing Milan, and with the benefit of hindsight, the Rossoneri must regret having allowed Locatelli to leave so cheaply.

Sassuolo paid an initial loan fee of €2 million for Locatelli in 2018-19, as part of a deal which included an obligatory purchase clause of €10 million, plus a further €2 million in bonuses. That overall €14 million investment now seems like a genuine bargain for the Neroverdi, where Locatelli has blossomed as a player and showcased the ability Milan clearly overlooked.

That said, other factors did influence Milan when they opted to cash in on Locatelli, rather than afford him the opportunity to continue his development with the club. At the time, Milan was mired in problems with UEFA following breach of their Financial Fair Play rules, which meant the club urgently needed to balance the books.

Regardless of that important context which ultimately led to Locatelli departing Milan, he understandably felt frustrated the club let him go. In recent interviews, he has admitted it was a huge blow to his confidence, although his level of self-belief has been fully restored at Sassuolo, which is clear to see from the impressive displays with Italy.

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