Until recently, AC Milan had cultivated a reputation for selling off their finest young players. The sale of Bryan Cristante in 2014 angered the club’s fans, who saw the 21-year-old’s departure as the latest in a growing line of short-sighted decisions.

However, since the arrival of Sinisa Mihajlovic as Rossoneri head coach, that outlook has changed. Not only are youngsters staying with the club, they are being actively involved in first-team affairs.

This season, the Serbian’s first in charge, 17-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma has established himself as Milan’s first-choice goalkeeper. Right-back Davide Calabria, 19, has also been given game time in Serie A.

Manuel Locatelli could be the latest youth-team graduate to benefit from this Mihajlovic-led change.

The 18-year-old, born in Lecco, was officially promoted to Milan’s first-team squad in February, following Antonio Nocerino’s transfer to Orlando City.

His promotion was an example of Milan’s new, more inclusive attitude towards its own Primavera and the players that come through it.

Locatelli first joined the club at the age of 12 and, as he ascended through the youth ranks, there was a growing sense of excitement about his prospects.

Physically he was—and remains—a slender player, but for what he lacks in strength he more than makes up for in several technical aspects.

A central midfielder by trade, he prefers a deeper role from where he can utilise his excellent passing range. He exudes assuredness on the ball and has the vision to spot an open player on the flanks or further forward.

He also appears remarkably composed in possession of the ball and more than capable of intercepting opposition moves. These skills suggest an acute footballing mind, one with awareness for tactical details and the ability to cope with the mental rigours of a professional career.

Yet, while those traits are impressive, it is his ball-playing qualities that mark him out as a regista for the future. And, with such a proclivity for long-range passes, it comes as no surprise that he has been compared to former Milan icon Andrea Pirlo.

For the Guardian, Paolo Bandini relayed the thoughts of Mauro Bianchessi, the club’s head of scouting, on Locatelli. “He’s a bit Pirlo and a bit (Riccardo) Montolivo,” he said, before adding: “He can be the next captain of Milan.”

If comparisons to a club legend and a current first-team regular don’t capture the attention, Bianchessi’s latter declaration will.

The notion that Locatelli might one day lead the Rossoneri is an interesting—if bold—one, especially given the current lack of real authority and inspiration within the squad.

It’s difficult to assess at this early stage exactly how much truth such a statement carries with it, especially when the player in question has yet to feature for the first team in competitive action. However, the words are worth taking into account, particularly given they came from someone whose job is to seek out and recommend young talent.

Last summer, Milan played a series of friendlies against lower-league opposition prior to more prestigious matches with the likes of Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Locatelli started in one of those lesser-covered games: a 5-1 win over Alcione.

While others such as Calabria and Donnarumma would go on to feature frequently in future pre-season fixtures, this was Locatelli’s sole outing.

Nonetheless he was proud of his inclusion, telling Milan Channel, via the club’s official website: “I am very happy with my friendly played with the first team, had I scored it would have been even better.”

His glass half-full analysis, citing the lack of a goal to his name, is perhaps indicative of an innate desire to improve, something that—along with his aforementioned ball skills—seemed to catch Mihajlovic’s eye.

Indeed, by last November, the coach was singing the youngster’s praises after the player helped Milan to the San Nicola Trophy, a friendly tournament contested along with Inter and Bari.

“I appreciated the quality of Locatelli, I wanted to see him,” Mihajlovic admitted to Milan Channel (h/t Football Italia). “It was the first time and he was a little shy. He needs to play the ball vertically some more, but I liked him, he did well.”

Within three months of those comments, Locatelli was a first-team player. And, along with his moving up at club level, he has also progressed in the national team setup. Since September 2015 he has been a part of Italy’s under-19 team and has now represented his country seven times at that level, per Transfermarkt.co.uk.

His rise has been fast, but an important point to note is that a number of more experienced players block his way to a regular place in the starting lineup. Currently, Montolivo is the team’s No. 1 deep-lying playmaker, while Milan possess other midfield technicians in Andrea Bertolacci and Andrea Poli.

Consequently Locatelli may have to be patient, but given Mihajlovic’s track record so far, his chance could come sooner rather than later.

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