Andrea Petagna

Andrea Petagna (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛːa peˈtaɲɲa]; born 30 June 1995) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie B club Monza. He has also previously represented the Italy national team.

Club career

AC Milan and loans

Petagna started his football career in AC Milan's youth system, where he was a member of the under-15 squad who won the Campionato Nazionale Giovanissimi in 2010 and a member of the under-17 squad who won the Campionato Nazionale Allievi the following year. He made his professional debut on 4 December 2012, coming on as a substitute in the late stages of a UEFA Champions League group stage home game against Zenit St. Petersburg, which Milan lost 0–1.

At the start of the 2013–14 season, Petagna was promoted full-time to the first team. He made his Serie A debut on 24 August 2013, coming on as a late substitute in the opening game, a 2–1 away loss against newly promoted Hellas Verona. However, following the acquisition of Alessandro Matri in the late days of the summer transfer window, Milan decided they would let Petagna go out on loan to Sampdoria in order to gain more first team experience. Sampdoria also had the option to make the deal a co-ownership agreement at the end of the season-long loan spell. In spite of that, the loan was terminated early and Petagna returned to Milan in January, having made five scoreless appearances during his stay at Sampdoria. He finished the season with three more senior appearances, while being mainly employed by the under-19 squad managed by Filippo Inzaghi. The side won the Viareggio Cup in February, defeating Anderlecht in the final, with Petagna scoring the equaliser for the rossoneri in a 3–1 win.