Player Analysis: Alessandro Bastoni

From Gaetano Scirea to Franco Baresi, from Paolo Maldini to Giuseppe Bergomi, from Alessandro Nesta to Fabio Cannavaro, Italy has been blessed with a long line of world-class defenders over the years, and the latest examples in this list are Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.

To paraphrase the words of Tottenham Hotspur manager José Mourinho, the two Juventus players 'should give classes at Harvard to teach players how to defend.' However, with Bonucci turning 34 next May, and with Chiellini, 36, coming off a season in which he played just four matches after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in August, it appears that next summer's Euros will be the final tournament in which the two legendary center backs start alongside each other for the Azzurri.

As such, Italy manager Roberto Mancini must find a new pair of center backs sooner rather than later. One player who seems guaranteed a starting spot is Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli, who, at 25, has established himself as one of the best center backs in Serie A. There is a laundry list of players who could start alongside Romagnoli in defense, from Juventus's Daniele Rugani to Lazio's Francesco Acerbi to Torino's Armando Izzo. However, it seems the player best positioned to step up into a starting role is Alessandro Bastoni.

After ascending through the ranks of Atalanta's academy, Bastoni made his Serie A debut in a 1-0 win against Sampdoria, playing the full 90 minutes for Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Bastoni made just two substitute appearances against Udinese and Inter over the next six months, before Inter purchased the then 18-year-old for €31 million.