He’s 19. He’s played less than 10 Serie A games and he’s already reputed to be worth £7m. He is Fabio Gatti and now a Perugia regular. You’ve got to hand it the Umbrian club. Not many in Serie A would have firstly plucked and then sold Fabio Liverani only to replace him in the midfield with a teenager who still needs to mature. But boss Serse Cosmi can certainly spot talent when he sees it.

"The boy has temperament and has done extremely well up to now," says the Coach. "He will live up to our expectations. Slowly but surely in the past few months I’ve been on his heels, putting a bit more pressure on him but he’s never reacted angrily. His behaviour has been like that of a true professional and he’s a lot more mature then his age suggests."

Gatti - nicknamed ‘Gattino’ or kitten - joined Perugia at the age of 11 from Passignanese, a local team that Gatti’s father Franco was President of at the time. Having turned 19 last February, Coach Serse Cosmi decided to let the cat out of the bag and give him his first team debut on May 20 when he was pitted against Brescia. It was a day he’ll never forget.

"Since my debut where I played against Roberto Baggio I’ve gone through so many emotions. It all seems like a dream to me. Even if I hope the best times are still to come in my career. I could never have imagined what has happened to me recently and I know that I have to thank Cosmi in particular who has helped me to develop."

Still with schoolboy looks, you’d be forgiven for thinking the player should have a rucksack on his back rather than the No 44. But once this boy starts to play it becomes instantly clear he has potential.

His debut as a substitute for the Under-21s in the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hungary was proof of that. With the game seemingly lost, Gatti instantly made an impression with and without the ball. No wonder Coach Claudio Gentile has confirmed that the player is likely to be recalled for the forthcoming European Championship games against Poland.

"My debut for Italy was very special. I’d never worn the Azzurri shirt before, not even for any of the youth sides. I just tried to stay calm and get into the game. I have the regret of not being able to do anything to stop the defeat but I was happy with my display."

Despite being dubbed as the ‘new Liverani’ by some media outlets, Gatti would be more accurately described as a cross between Demetrio Albertini and Gennaro Gattuso. He doesn’t want people to get too excited though regarding his pedigree.

"I just want to keep my feet on the ground," he said. "I don’t think I deserve to be likened to Liverani who proved to be an outstanding talent. I tried to learn some tricks from him during training but we are different types of player. I just hope to become as good as he is.

"Baggio, Zvonimir Boban and Alessandro Del Piero are legends that I aspired to become. Then Liverani arrived and he instantly went to the top of my idol list because of his class and the respect that he showed me when I was called into the squad."

But what does he think about the reports linking him with £7m bids from Juventus and Milan - the club he’s always supported? "The figures that are being branded about seem to be a bit presumptuous at this moment. I think they are a bit of an exaggeration. I’m not being affected by all the talk that big clubs are interested in me because I’m focused, like all of my teammates, to survive in Serie A."

ANTONIO LABBATE