AC Milan: Top Young Stars Poised to Break out at the San Siro Next Season

Despite starting out promisingly, and hitting many high points prior to the end of the season, AC Milan ended the 2011-12 season disappointingly. The team failed to win Serie A, the Coppa Italia or the Champions League.

One of the few prevailing bright spots from the season was Stephan El Shaarawy's emergence. Signed from Genoa, Shaarawy had a decent debut season at the San Siro, making 23 appearances and scoring four goals.

Next season, everyone will be looking for El Shaarawy to grab an even more regular role with Milan, score more goals and crack into the Italian national team. However, what other youth products will be joining him?

Read ahead to learn about the top young stars likely to break out for Milan next season.

Stephan El Shaarawy

We start with Milan's No. 1 young star, El Shaarawy.

Born to an Egyptian father and Italian mother, El Shaarawy joined Genoa's youth system at the age of 13. He later became the fourth youngest player to ever debut in Serie A when he made a substitute appearance for the club at the age of 16 and 55 days.

El Shaarawy didn't grab the attention of Italy's bigger clubs until 2010-11, when he made a loan move to Serie B side Padova and scored nine goals in 29 games. El Shaarawy's dribbling ability piqued Mian's interest, and they quickly concluded a deal for him in June 2011.

Despite not getting called up to the Italian national team for Euro 2012, Shaarawy has made it clear to Egyptians and the Egyptian national team that he considers himself "Italian more than anything else."

Still only 19, Shaarawy surely has a bright future ahead of him, regardless of which national team he eventually elects to play for.

Mattia De Sciglio

Mattia De Sciglio quietly went about his business for Milan last season, making three league appearances and two Champions League appearances. Three of those came as a starter.

Expect that total to at least double, if not triple, next season. The Rossoneri have made their intentions to bring in new blood and drop the average age of the team clear by releasing six of their over 34-year-old players.

Of those six, one of those released is Gianluca Zambrotta, formerly Ignazio Abate's backup at right-back. Now that he's gone, the role of backup to Abate falls to De Sciglio, who has looked ready to step up and fill in when needed.

De Sciglio may have to compete with Daniele Bonera, a centre-back who can play right-back, or Luca Antonini, a left-back who occasionally covers at right-back.

However, both players have struggled at right-back in the past, and will not be viewed favorably by Massimiliano Allegri.

Again, 2012-13 likely won't be De Sciglio's breakout season, but it will likely be a big stepping stone on his path to becoming a regular member of the Milan squad. At the age of 19, time is on De Sciglio's side.

Didac Vila

After a productive loan spell with Espanyol, where he appeared as a starter in 37 of 38 matches, Vila is reportedly keen to return to AC Milan. The Spaniard is eager to stake his claim for a spot in the team's starting lineup, according to Milannews.it (via Goal.com).

Truth be told, AC Milan will probably be just as delighted as Didac to see him return to the club. Luca Antonini and Djamel Mesbah have both failed to perform consistently as left-backs for Milan, and Taye Taiwo has already made it clear that he does not desire a return to Milan.

That leaves the club with few options, and to be honest, they could do much worse than Didac.

Didac is an experienced Under-21 Spanish international, having played and started regularly in the Under-21 UEFA Football Championship. He should become a regular member of the Spanish national team in a season or two.

He may start the year on the bench, but Allegri would be a fool to bench Vila in favor of Antonini or Mesbah over the course of the season.

Rodney Strasser

At the age of 22, Strasser is quickly passing out of the phase of his career in which he can still be called young. Nevertheless, this season may be the season he finally gets regular playing time for Milan.

Strasser joined Milan back in 2007, but after making few first team appearances over the next four seasons, he joined Lecce on loan for 2011-12.

Strasser was finally able to establish himself as a regular member of the Lecce squad, but unfortunately broke his ankle in early January and had to cut his loan spell short. When he recovered in mid-April, he made one further substitute appearance for Milan.

Strasser could very well be sent on loan again to try to find a mid-table Italian team to settle with. However, if he is retained by Milan, he could add a new level of dynamism and youth in a midfield that's been lacking just that in the last few seasons.

Furthermore, Gattuso and Van Bommel's exit from Milan means Strasser has a much greater opportunity to break into Milan's rotation, even if he still has to compete with Flamini, Ambrosini, Nocerino, and indirectly, Muntari and Montolivo.

It won't be easy, but after four seasons at the club, Strasser is used to fighting for every minute. If he's retained, this well be his "make-or-break" season at the San Siro.

Gianmario Comi

Though Milan don't utilize their youth system anywhere near as well as the likes of Barcelona, Ajax, Arsenal, Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, they still produce a number of top-class talents and develop them in their Primavera side.

One player who looks ready to make the jump up to the first team is Gianmario Comi.

Comi was not one of the players called up to the first team last season, but there's no arguing with his stats. 

He scored 25 goals in 23 matches to ensure he was top scorer of Campionato Primavera Girone B—10 goals clear of the second highest goalscorer, Simone Genz, also an AC Milan Primavera striker.

Unfortunately for Comi (and to a lesser extent, Genz), AC Milan are currently stacked up front, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Antonio Cassano and Alexander Pato—in addition to El Shaarawy and Maxi Lopez—giving the Milanese side one of the most fearsome collections of strikers in the world.

Still, there's no way a player of Comi's ability will be spending another full year in the reserve team. If Robinho or Cassano is sold, as Goal.com believes they will be, this may open the door for Comi to get a chance with the first team.

If not, he'll likely join a smaller club on loan first, and go from there.