Everything you need to know about the prodigal attacker…
Liverpool have today been heavily linked to Villarreal starlet Luciano Vietto, who has taken La Liga by storm in recent weeks.
He’s by no means a household name though, so we thought it best to provide some more insight to the man dubbed ‘The new Sergio Aguero’…
(Apologies in advance for the music which accompanies the videos we found – we had to mute them while checking out Vietto’s best bits!)
1) Vietto is a 21-year-old Argentine who stands at just 5 ft. 8″ tall. He was born in 1993, and having been released by Estudiantes as a 17-year-old, signed for Racing Club, for whom he made his debut in 2011. It was in 2012/13 that he began to make serious strides as a pro, however – bagging 13 goals in the season as a teenager. Liverpool were interested in him then, but he signed a four-year extension with the South Americans…
2) Vietto’s form in Argentina meant he was bound for a European move at some point, and despite enduring a poor campaign in 2013/14 in which he bagged just five, the striker signed for La Liga club Villarreal in the summer earlier this year for an undisclosed fee. He bagged his first two goals during a half an hour cameo off the bench versus Rayo Vallecano, having gone four matches without scoring.
3) He didn’t hit the ground running in Spain, but he’s certainly found his feet now… Vietto bagged two in his first nine games, but since the end of November, he’s notched six in six games in all competitions. Overall, the prodigal forward has ten goals and four assists – more than all of our forwards put together.
4) Stylistically; think Alexis Sanchez, Luis Suarez or Sergio Aguero. He’s short, stocky, and battles for every ball. Vietto is a ferociously hard worker, and has the grit and determination many other South Americans possess. He’s a street footballer, and it works. it does result in occasionally poor discipline however, as his ten yellow cards since the start of 2013 suggests.
5) Vietto is a regular for Argentina youth sides. He notched two goals in the 2013 South America Under-20 tournament, and has been dubbed ‘The new Sergio Aguero’ ever since. Real Madrid and Inter Milan have also been credited with an interest in his services, and while the former would be able to offer him very little first-team football, the latter could be an attractive proposition because of their location and prestige. Other Argentines to play for Liverpool include Emiliano Insua, and Javier Mascherano, both of who are now enjoying successful careers in La Liga…
