Having trouble with losing your kids? No matter, as long as you have a few more waiting in the wings ready to step up. That may be terrible, not to mention borderline criminal, parenting advice, but in the world of professional football it is not a bad way of doing business, as River Plate's latest crop of wonderkids showed in a performance that put a smile on no few faces around Núñez during this opening week of Copa Liga Profesional action.
River's pre-season was dominated by the Claudio Echeverri saga, as the teenage phenomenon not only followed through on his promise to seek employment elsewhere having started just one game for the Millonario, but also left them short-handed in the present thanks to his call-up to the Argentina Under-23 squad. A series of injuries subsequently left Martín Demichelis short of options across the pitch to start the season, and the tetchy mood of River fans was barely improved to start the campaign when the team was held by Argentinos Juniors in front of a packed Monumental.
Fortunately for the coach, the famous Millo assembly line that has rolled off the likes of Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and now Echeverri in recent years shows no sign of slowing down.
On Wednesday Franco Mastantuono was handed the chance of a lifetime. At 16, the midfielder is younger than the iPhone, the Playstation 3 and all seven of the original Harry Potter series, not to mention more than two decades the junior of his new captain, Franco Armani. But he shined during his full debut against Barracas Central, running the engine room for the first hour of a tough, uncompromising encounter.
When he ran out of steam, Demichelis simply turned to another young gem, Agustín Ruberto, and the 18-year-old finished off the clash as a contest with his first goal in River colours to seal a 2-0 win and get the Millo up and running in this Copa.
With forward Ian Subiabre also making his debut with a late cameo off the bench, the future suddenly looks bright indeed for River, banishing at a stroke this angst-ridden summer and their transfer difficulties.
“We spent all of last year looking down [at the youth divisions],” Demichelis revealed after the final whistle. “Ian Subiabre, Mastantuano, they showed what they could do at the [Under-17] World Cup and we decided they should join our pre-season.
“I like giving the kids confidence, they are copying the older guys. And when everyone is back, we will try to keep taking advantage of this mix of senior professionals and youngsters.”
The best part of all for River? All three of Wednesday's promising stars have signed contracts with release clauses upwards of US$30 million, meaning a repeat of the Echeverri headache is unlikely should they go on and realise their clear potential, attracting in the process the greedy eye of Europe's biggest clubs.
The Prodigal Son is back
Ever Banega knows a thing or two about early hype. As a youngster at Boca Juniors he was dubbed Argentina's latest midfield sensation, securing a mammoth deal to move to Valencia while still in his teens. The exquisitely talented midfielder took a few bumps along the way but, now back at his beloved Newell's and in his mid-thirties, that unerring ability on the ball is still intact.
Banega has helped the Lepra kick off the Copa with back-to-back wins, putting on a masterclass on Tuesday to seal a 2-0 victory over Lanús which leaves the Rosario club with a perfect six points out of six. So far, his decision to ignore Boca's overtures in favour of his boyhood idols appears perfectly vindicated: as he told TNT Sports after the game: “I couldn't turn my back on the team I supported.”
Most impressive of all is the fact that the veteran has waltzed straight into the team having barely participated in pre-season training, having come straight from the rather more sedate climes of the Saudi Pro League. Physical excellence has admittedly never been a huge part of Banega's game; but when he gets back up to full speed the ex-Argentina ace's genius, coupled with one of the meanest defences in the game and an attack full of young, hungry talents like Tuesday's opening goalscorer Brian Aguirre, threaten to make Newell's a force to be reckoned with in 2024.
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