Italy manager Giampiero Ventura has praised AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, believing him to be the possible heir to the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.
Ventura, who also had kind words for Milan's new boss Vincenzo Montella after visiting the club's training ground, has expressed his delight with the amount of Italian's currently in the seven-time Champions League winners' squad "? which includes Donnarumma.
?@MilanTV interview with #Ventura ? https://t.co/KGsUpokbP0
Il C.T. Ventura in esclusiva ? https://t.co/qfCaLsQq6A pic.twitter.com/6XRKMaZNk4
"There are many Italians here, unlike elsewhere,"? Ventura told Milan TV and as quoted on "?Rossoneri Blog.
"There are also many players who can be useful to the national team, and today was the right day to get to know them. We have to start again from the good things that we saw at the last Euros.
"We saw that good organization can take us far. Montella is a very knowledgeable Coach, who has his clear ideas and works to put them in practice.
"Donnarumma? He's a very young lad who enjoyed an excellent season last year. Time is on his side and he'll have to keep working, always striving to improve. He could be the heir to Buffon, I wish him this and I wish this for the Nazionale as well."
Donnarumma burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old and, despite being so young, especially for a goalkeeper, the Italian has already established himself as Milan's first-choice No.1.
The 17-year-old has been capped three times at U21 level for Italy, and it is believed that it is only a matter of time before he is called up to the Azzurri's senior squad.