Are Juventus' Youngsters Ready to Step Up in 2015/16?

While their focus remains firmly on the Champions League final against Barcelona, there is little doubt that Juventus are preparing for the future. Italian football’s grand Old Lady has made moves for some of the peninsula’s brightest young talents, clearly seeking to extend her current dominance for many years.

The Bianconeri have sold on some of these players, allowing the likes of Ciro Immobile and Manolo Gabbiadini to move on due to the competition for places that already exists in Turin. Eventually however, it seems inevitable that some of these players will be given a chance to showcase their talent for the recently crowned Serie A champions.

Perhaps the most prominent of these is Domenico Berardi, the Sassuolo winger who is—along with Marco Verratti—arguably the nation’s most talented prospect at present. The argument for bringing the 20-year-old star to Turin this summer was discussed at length in this previous column, but he is far from the only player whose future is up for debate.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

Indeed, next on the list is his Neroverdi team-mate Simone Zaza, already an established member of the national team and a potential candidate to replace Fernando Llorente should the Spanish striker opt to move on this summer.

He has already matched last-season’s tally with nine goals and two assists, leading to speculation that Juve will use the buyback they retain on him, per Football Italia. That came despite the 23-year-old suffering a major dip in form at the turn of the year when it was rumoured he might make the switch six months early.

That annoyed his current coach, with Eusebio Di Francesco making his annoyance clear in an interview with Sky Italia. “I’m not happy with talk surrounding Zaza,” the Sassuolo boss said (h/t Forza Italian Football). “It makes him less focussed, I would prefer if less was spoken about him.”

Squawka.com

Zaza remains a quality striker with a keen eye for goal, his shooting accuracy rising from 37 percent last season to an impressive 59 percent in 2014-15 according to statistics from Squawka.com. Should director general Beppe Marotta and his team decide the time is right, he is one player who is certainly ready to play for Juventus.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Another for whom that is certainly the case is Empoli’s Daniele Rugani, without doubt the best young defender Italy have produced in some time. The 20-year-old has had a fine season with the Tuscan side, catching the eye of many and already securing a €3.5 million summer move to Juventus, per the club’s official website.

He has scored three goals, but it is undoubtedly his defensive work which has gathered the most attention, statistics from Squawka.com showing he has won no fewer than 63 percent of his tackles and 67 percent of the aerial battles he has contested.

Rugani has done so without receiving a single yellow card, testament to his impeccable timing and intelligent reading of the game, though he knows he must be patient and await his chance. “I’m ready to get involved,” he said at a recent public event (h/t Football Italia), “if they think I’m ready to play, then so be it, if not there’s no rush.”

Squawka.com

“I want to be at the right level as soon as possible, but whether that will be now or will take another year, they’ll decide.” It seems that is a decision that will be taken over the next month or so, with the Bianconeri preparing to take stock of their squad after the clash with Barcelona in Berlin.

Whatever choices are made, Juventus can rest assured that in Berardi, Rugani and Zaza, they have three players ready to contribute, as each has proven to be a quality performer in Serie A with their current side.