Juventus youngster Savona in disbelief after maiden Italy callup

Rome: Juventus right-back Nicolo Savona is having a weekend to remember. It began with a first-ever call-up for the senior Italian national team, and he then featured as a starter in the Derby della Mole which ended in his team’s 2-0 victory over Torino.

The 21-year-old is a Bianconeri youth product who rose through the club’s ranks before earning a promotion to the first team after impressing Thiago Motta in pre-season. He has now established himself as a regular starter and even got the nod for the big Derby.

The youngster expressed his delight with the win over the Granata, especially since it was his maiden appearance in the fixture.

“I’m feeling very good on the pitch, and winning two consecutive games without conceding a goal is a great feeling,” said Savona in the post-match press conference as published by the club’s official website.

“Winning the derby is an immense joy, especially because it was the first one for me. We are really very happy.”

The full-back also discussed his first senior call-up for the Italian national team, revealing how he hardly believed it at first.

“It was a great feeling, I almost didn’t believe it; I’m really happy.

“Thiago Motta pushes us to give our best, and in training everyone works at 100%. I understand that it’s not easy for the coach to make choices, but I’m always available.”

Savona insists Juventus have been improving since the start of the season, even though their path requires more time.

“We have already grown a lot since the beginning of the season. It takes time to get used to a new coach’s methods, and the road ahead is still long.

“I didn’t set myself a precise goal target, I didn’t expect to start like this, and I didn’t set myself the goal of scoring at all costs; it will be difficult to score more, but we’ll see.”