Forgotten Italy talent Pellegri eyes Serie A comeback after returning to Torino training
GENOA, ITALY - JANUARY 13: Pietro Pellegri of Torino, former player of Genoa, greets the home crowd after the Serie A TIM match between Genoa CFC and Torino FC at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on January 13, 2024 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
Forgotten Italy talent Pietro Pellegri is back in training with Torino after a series of injury nightmares, and is reportedly hoping to make his mark in Serie A once domestic football returns after the international break.
Pellegri eyes Serie A return after injury nightmare
Pellegri, 25, was once tipped for great things after becoming the youngest ever Serie A debutant at the time of his first Genoa appearance, aged 15 years and 280 days old. He was also the first Italian player born in the 21st century to appear and the first player of any nationality born in the 21st century to score in Serie A.
He is still the only 16-year-old player to score a brace in any of Europe’s top five leagues.
Pellegri would go on to join Monaco in January of 2018 at a reported cost of €25m including bonuses, the second-highest fee ever paid for a 16-year-old. He would go on to become the first player born in the 21st century to score in Ligue 1 and also beat Kylian Mbappe’s record as the youngest player to feature in Ligue 1 for Monaco.
He was then sent out on an unproductive loan spell to Milan before joining Torino on loan with an option to buy, which was activated in the summer of 2022.
Since then, Pellegri has been plagued by injuries and has only appeared for Torino in Serie A on 42 occasions since his transfer was made permanent over four years ago. His last appearance for the Granata came at the back end of the 2023-24 season.
Pellegri has since been sent out on two season-long loan deals to Empoli, but suffered major cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in both seasons, and required reconstructive surgery in January of 2026.
He has only just returned to training with the Torino first-team following the most recent surgery on Thursday, and now, according to reports from Calciomercato.com, he is hoping to be available for selection again in Serie A after the international break.
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