Manchester united have had a £12.7 million bid accept for the versatile full back that can also play centre back. With these characteristics he has been compared in Italy to the legendary pair of Antonio Cabrini and Paulo Maldini, with his fantastic quality of both offensive and defensive play, his tactical awareness, pace and bags of energy, there is no doubt that he will fit the Premier League perfectly.
After coming through the famous youth ranks of A.C. Milan, Matteo found first team chances very hard to come by, only making 6 appearances in all competitions throughout the course of a 3 year spell, in which he won a Champions League and a UEFA super cup.
In the 09/10 season Matteo was sent out on loan to Padova, where he was given more regular playing time, which accumulated to him playing 22 games and scoring a single goal, to keep them in Serie B by the skin of their teeth via the relegation play off. His performances throughout the season didn’t go unnoticed.
The following year he was involved in a co ownership deal with A.C. Milan and Palermo, where he got his first taste of European football, playing in the Europa League by making 4 appearances, but once again was on the fringes due to Federico Balzaretti’s fantastic form.
Matteo then moved to Torino, in Serie B, since joining Torino Matteo has gone from strength to strength and has become a first team regular for the last 4 seasons, making 151 appearance and scoring 6 goals, which 13 of those came from an exciting run in the Europa League, which was halted by eventual winners Sevilla in the last 16.
In the 13/14 season he was recognized as the best right back of the year being included in team of the year. As a result of his successful performances, he earned a place in the Azzurri’s World Cup squad. After Italy’s poor showing at the World Cup, missing out on qualification, Matteo was awarded the Pallone Azzurro (The Blue Ball), which was awarded to the best international player of 2014 and beat the likes of the ever so influential Andrea Pirlo.
All in all, in my opinion, Manchester United have bagged themselves a bargain, with a versatile player that will add immense quality in both attack and defence.
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