Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Goal.com Italy Slams Liverpool Target Aquilani As 'The New Dossena'


Xabi Alonso's potential move to Real Madrid could pave the way for AS Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani to join Rafael Benitez's Liverpool ranks, but Goal.com Italy's Sergio Stanco has warned Anfield fans that they could be chasing "another Andrea Dossena".

Stanco has reservations about the Liverpool target, as he feels that it is high time that the 25-year-old has converted his much-publicised potential into top-level performances.

He told Goal.com International, "In Italy, we said that Aquilani has a great potential and each year should be the one where he explodes, but we are still waiting."

He was swift to add, though, that, "No one is so stupid to say that he can not become a great player, but at the moment he still is not."

Stanco also pointed to the differences in England and Italy about fielding young players. A case in point is the way players such as Wayne Rooney and now more recently Jack Wilshere are brought through into the first-team at 16 or 17-years-of-age, while in Serie A, players such as Sebastian Giovinco and Riccardo Montolivo are still considered young.

The reason for this, Stanco suggests, is to alleviate the risk of "burn-out", so while there is still time for Aquilani to raise his game further, which Stanco hopes as "everybody knows how Italy needs a good midfielder", but the onus has instead turned to the nation's younger crop.

Goal.com Italy had further criticisms about an Aquilani switch. "He does not have the personality to conquest the Premier League. I think he will be a new Dossena who wants to come back to Italy after one year because he doesn't feature enough."

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