Oh no! Looks like the Italians have found themselves another Pirlo

Having been spared another date with Andrea Pirlo, the architect of England’s Euro 2012 demise, Roy Hodgson is set instead to encounter the teenager hailed as his natural successor.

Marco Verratti, 19, has been compared to Pirlo since Zdenek Zeman used his technique and vision as Pescara’s defensive playmaker. He made his debut for Pescara at 16 and, last weekend, played his first competitive game for Paris Saint-Germain after a £10million move on the same day Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva swapped Milan for the French capital.

Watch out: The talented Marco Verratti (right) at Italy training and in PSG colours (below)

Within Italian football, the move did not go unnoticed, setting off another bout of soul-searching over the drain of young talent.
‘It is a shame we could not keep him in Italy,’ said national coach Cesare Prandelli. ‘Perhaps we should have been a bit quicker to recognise his talent and stop him from ending up abroad. He is very skilful and a strong personality.’
There is concern that Verratti will not be able to polish his skills as the pivot in Carlo Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 formation at PSG, and may be forced wide or, worse still, out of the team. He started against Lorient on Sunday but was replaced with his side losing 2-0 as Ibrahimovic scored twice to salvage a draw.
Italian football has long been accused of having little faith in youth. The academy system has been under scrutiny, technicians such as Gianfranco Zola doubting whether the nation is creating the right type of footballers.
‘In the past, Italy produced good players from the streets,’ Zola told Sportsmail in February. ‘The academies are good but they can’t give you that extra quality and tend to choose young players who are more physical and tactical and sacrifice players who don’t have the physique.
‘I wouldn’t have made it if they were choosing back then by the criteria they use today. I was so little...’
Prandelli wants to forge a young team for Brazil 2014 around Mario Balotelli, who has an eye infection. Twelve uncapped players have been selected for this friendly against England at the Stade de Suisse; the 22-man squad has an average age of 24. ‘The idea is to plan the next two years by finding out which young players have what it takes,’ said Prandelli.