Hernan Crespo has played down comparisons between Mateo Retegui and legendary Fiorentina striker Gabriel Batistuta fearing that fans are expecting too much too soon from the 23-year-old.
With goals against England and Malta on his first two caps for the Azzurri, Retegui became the first player to score on his first two international outings for the Azzurri in over 50 years.
However, Crespo fears that the excitement surrounding the recently acquired Argentina-born goalscorer is becoming a little too much.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport in a recent interview that Retegui needs protection rather than being subjected to mass-hysteria at this early stage of his international career.
Still, Crespo is full of praise for Retegui adding that: “He couldn’t have started better.”
He continued: “But I would say that he still has a long way to go and people have to be patient with him. You can see that he comes from another world, because football in Argentina is completely different from the Italian game.
“First of all, he needs to get to know his new team-mates. A few days away is not enough to properly familiarise yourself with a new environment. I know Retegui and I maintain that Italy did very well to land him and call him up. Now we need to protect him and not put too much pressure on him.”
At this stage of his career, Retegui is only in his third full season of senior football and has only registered one league appearance for his parent club Boca Juniors.
Despite that, Retegui is already being linked with a move to Europe, most regularly to Serie A with Inter said to be particularly interested.
Crespo was also asked for his thoughts on the comparisons between Retegui and Batistuta.
When asked if he thought the comparisons were a bit of an exaggeration, Crespo replied: “I would say yes. Batistuta has done a lot, a lot. Retegui has just started. Shall we give him time to grow?”
I want Retegui to Inter because he is… Argentine. Crespo is right. Maybe Retegui won’t score any goal in next 10 games.