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Sandro Tonali Compares Himself To Another Player, It's Not Andrea Pirlo

Sandro Tonali Compares Himself To Another Player, It's Not Andrea Pirlo

He's been hailed as 'the new Pirlo'...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Sandro Tonali, the latest member of Roberto Mancini's Italy squad, has already drawing comparisons to Andrea Pirlo thanks to his likeness in terms of appearance and playing style - and the fact the 18-year old plies his trade with Brescia, the club where Pirlo started out.

The man himself acknowledge that the two have similar hairstyles but reckons he's actually more comparable to another Azzurri legend as Gennaro Gattuso was his role model. He did also reveal he supported AC Milan as a kid.

"As for the Pirlo comparisons, he inspired me but I've never seen another like him," Tonali said in a press conference, as per Football Italia.

"Maybe my hair is similar. My role model was [Gennaro] Gattuso in terms of grit."

Given he's playing in the second tier, Tonali was a surprise call-up to the national team fold but his form has prompted Mancini to draft him in for games against Portugal and the United States.

And when asked about the starlet, the former Manchester City manager waxed lyrical.

"I want to stress again that he's incredibly gifted and has clear margins for growth," he said, as per the Daily Mail.

"I'll get to know him better over the next few days.'

Tonali has made 11 appearances for Brescia in Serie B this season, scoring once and setting up four.

GOAL report that Juventus are currently the front-runners for Tonali, who is rated at £17 million, but Chelsea are very keen to secure his services, with Maurizio Sarri identifying the midfielder as an alternative option for Jorginho.

However, it has been reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will head over to Milan to see him in action in the international break.

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Topics: Football News, Brescia, Football, roberto mancini, Andrea Pirlo, AC Milan, Italy