Big money moves involving young players can be a tricky business, particularly if that player comes with a promising reputation, but Krzysztof Piatek looks ready to continue his incredible Serie A form with AC Milan.
The 23 year-old completed his long awaited move from Genoa to the San Siro on January 23rd, and he is already making a name for himself at his new club.
His first start yielded two goals as Gennaro Gattuso’s side eliminated Napoli from the Coppa Italia with a straightforward 2-0 home win.
Piatek needed little time to settle, scoring his first goal after just 10 minutes, before adding a second 17 minutes later, as Carlo Ancelotti’s side were put to the sword inside the first half an hour.
Goals for the Polish international are nothing new for Serie A fans, after scoring 13 in his first 18 league starts of the season with Genoa, but the speed with which he looks to adapting is what marks Piatek out as a potential star.
His first goal came from a simple long ball downfield, but his pace and movement got him in behind the Napoli defence, and the finish was unerring.
Goal number two was even better, again making a run in behind, but he showed the intelligence and awareness to hold the ball up, before firing home another brilliant finish.
There was no hint of nerves from the former Cracovia Krakow man, despite being directly up against one of the best central defenders in the league, in Kalidou Koulibaly.
He has shown during his time at Genoa that the variance of goals that he is capable of is his greatest strength, and he remained a constant threat to Napoli.
He has pace, physical presence, strong aerial ability and a ruthless streak in front of goal that few strikers across Europe possess, and his record stands against him so far this season, as he is fourth in the Serie A goal charts, but top in all competitions in Italy.
He already looks tailor made to be one of the league’s most lethal finishers, with comparisons to former AC Milan star Andriy Shevchenko looking more and more apt.
How Gattuso will deploy him is still undecided, but as Milan have struggled for goals this season, he is most likely to go with a three man attack of Piatek, and two of Patrick Cutrone, Suso, Hakan Calhanoglu.
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