Atletico Patience Rewarded as Angel Correa Puts in Argentina U20 Masterclass

Argentina's under-20 thrashing of Ecuador would have been well-received in Diego Simeone's house. The Atletico Madrid manager received the satisfaction of watching son Giovanni, unlike his father a skillful centre-forward, net twice in a 5-2 destruction to open the South American Youth Championships. But in professional terms, a fantastic display from one of his own players, Angel Correa, was the best news for El Cholo. 

Correa, 19, was clearly on a different level to the 21 men he shared the pitch with in Colonia, Uruguay. The winger netted one of Argentina's quintet and laid two more on a plate for Simeone, while generally torturing the Tricolor defence. 

Laying on two assists for the boss' son is one sure-fire way for the teenager to endear himself to his trainer back in the Spanish capital. But the significance of Wednesday's display was really far greater for Correa and Atletico. 

It is a cliche to say a professional football career is a roller-coaster ride. But if it were so, the young prospect from Rosario dropped almost as far as it is possible to go at a high point in his fledgling career. In the middle of 2014 Correa was on top of the world. His sparkling performances in San Lorenzo were a big part of Juan Antonio Pizzi's 2013 Inicial-winning side the previous year, adding verve and attacking potency to what was a solid, unspectacular unit. 

From there, a Copa Libertadores campaign beckoned, and even though he had only just blown out the candles on his 19th birthday cake, the forward once more took a leading role. Unfortunately, he was not around to play the deciding matches; those displays had not gone unnoticed by Simeone, who swooped to sign up Correa for a massive €8 million as part of the future for Los Colchoneros. But now, disaster would strike. 

The medical exams in Spain detected a tumour in Correa's heart ventricle, and after surgery in New York, the teenager faced a daunting six months out on the sidelines. His life, thankfully, was never in danger, but such a prolonged lay-off can be damaging in the development of a young footballer. Throughout the arduous recovery, Atletico and Simeone's conduct was admirable, worthy of a club who may not win too many friends with their physical, no-nonsense style on the pitch but off it are a model worth following. 

Correa told La Nacion (in Spanish) in the days leading up to the Under-20 curtain-raiser that Simeone had visited him during his recovery and that he was completely behind the decision to play in the youth tournament in order to pick up minutes on the pitch. The astute Argentine rarely puts a foot wrong in these cases, and once more he was proved right. 

Some observers have compared the ex-San Lorenzo wonderkid to Sergio Aguero. But in the current Argentina U20 team, parallels to Angel Di Maria appear more natural. Correa revelled in bursting down the left flank before cutting back inside, forming one point of Humberto Grondona's attacking trident in a cavalier 3-4-3 formation. 

With the Atletico man staying on the flank, though, and River youngster Tomas Martinez moving up to the playmaker position, the system could also morph into 3-4-1-2, with Correa free to maraud in the same fashion Di Maria does under Martino in the seniors. His running, ability to take the ball past his marker with insolent ease and eye for goal make him a complete attacker, and if he could destroy effortlessly in his first game back, it is frightening to think what Correa could do with regular football under his belt. 

After so many months of uncertainty, the future is once more looking very bright indeed for Atletico's forward prospect. In another show of support, as reported by AS, Simeone is keen to put the brakes on a planned loan move to Rayo, as even though the club's foreigner allocation is full he has been impressed by the Argentine's talent and commitment in training. 

Should Miranda complete his European Union citizenship prior to January 31, Correa will complete his journey into the Atletico first-team squad for what remains of the Liga campaign. 

Many clubs would have done all they can to cancel a hefty transfer in Correa's case, fearing that the player they receive after recovery would not be the same as the talent they saw beforehand. It is a credit to Atletico, then, and their coach that they never lost faith in the youngster. It is hard to judge from just one game, but if the 19-year-old's form continues to improve, the Colchoneros faith will be paid back many times over in the coming years.