Luca Pellegrini: 5 Things to Know About Juventus' New Left-Back

Luca Pellegrini is officially a Juventus player. The Italian left-back has become the Bianconeri's second signing of the summer following his arrival from Roma,

Luca Pellegrini is officially a Juventus player. The Italian left-back has become the Bianconeri's second signing of the summer following his arrival from Roma, joining Aaron Ramsey, who left Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of last season.

Commanding a substantial €22m fee, many an eyebrow was raised when Juventus decided to splash the cash on the 20-year-old.

Still in the infancy of his career, Pellegrini will be hoping to to build his profile in Turin. Here are five things to know about the highly-rated youngster.

He Has Only Made 16 Serie A Appearances

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Manchester United signed Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50m, despite the English right-back having only played one full season in the Premier League. 

Pellegrini has even less experience. Last season was his first campaign in the Italian top-flight, and he was limited to just 16 games. Only four of those came for Roma, who decided to send him out on loan to Cagliari in January. 

Pellegrini impressed in Sardinia, making a positive impact in his 12 games for the bottom side. Clearly, he did enough to catch the eye of Juventus.

It is unlikely that Pellegrini will go straight into the Juventus side next year, as he is still developing as a player at this stage. However, the fee that Juventus have paid suggests that they see the Italian full-back as a long-term option who will get his turn to prove himself in time.

Managed by Super-Agent Mino Raiola 

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If you asked football fans to name one superstar agent, the most common answer is likely to be Mino Raiola. 

Raiola works for a number of high-profile names such as Paul Pogba, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Pellegrini is another name to add to that list.

Controversy usually follows Raiola, who is not afraid to make headline-grabbing statements on behalf of the players he represents. Yet it is clear that he does not mess around with mediocre talent - he attracts some of the best players in the world to work with him.

The fact that Pellegrini has Raiola as his agent indicates how highly thought of Pellegrini is. 

He Has Battled Back From Two Serious Knee Injuries

Roma is a club that has been very unlucky with knee injuries in recent seasons, and Pellegrini has had his fair share of issues himself.

On the final day of the club's pre-season training camp in 2017, Pellegrini ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. 

To his credit, Pellegrini recovered quickly from the setback, returning to training in late 2017. Yet disaster struck again as he stepped up his rehabilitation. He fractured his right kneecap in December of that year, signaling a further spell on the sidelines.

Given his injury history, some may be cautious to spend big on Pellegrini. Not Juventus though, who have seemingly admired the resilience of the player to bounce back and show his true potential in his maiden season in Serie A.

Was Considered Roma's Next Hometown Hero

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Roma have historically been very proud to bring through players from the city to represent the club. 

Francesco Totti was adored by the fans for more than two decades, whilst Daniele De Rossi bid an emotional farewell at the end of last season. Both were seen by the fans to have been rushed out of the club, as the two iconic players appeared to want to stay but were deemed to be surplus to requirements.

Indeed, Totti resigned as a director in June, clearly unhappy at the direction that the club was heading. 

Roma supporters will have hoped that Pellegrini, who was also born in Rome, could go on and become the next hometown hero. Instead, Juventus have swept in and bought the young talent before he could make any sort of impression at Roma. This could prove to be a very shrewd move from the Bianconeri in the years to come.

Could Be Italy's Next Great Left-Back

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Pellegrini has represented his country from Under-16 level through to the Under-21s, making 36 appearances across those age groups.

The next logical step is the senior team. Left-back is not a strong area for Italy at the moment, with neither Emerson from Chelsea nor Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi cementing themselves in that role.

Indeed, Pellegrini may find himself battling the man who has replaced him at Roma as part of this deal, Leonardo Spinazzola, for the left-back berth in the senior side in years to come.

Pellegrini has plenty of international youth football experience behind him and is expected to get a chance to shine for Roberto Mancini's side before too long.