Jose Mourinho labelled Roma’s incoming Juventus loanee Dean Huijsen as ‘one of the highest quality prospects in European football’, and refused to rule out a potential Giallorossi debut for the teenager against Atalanta on Sunday.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon, Mourinho confirmed that Huijsen is available to play against Atalanta if required, as Roma have submitted all the necessary documentation to the Lega Serie A in time for kick-off at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Special One did warn that Huijsen is lacking in experience, having only played 10 minutes of action in Serie A with Juve previously, at the end of the 1-0 victory over Milan in October, but said that the 18-year-old’s confidence is something to be admired.
“We all know who he is. He is an 18-year-old boy who has played 10 minutes in Serie A, but he is one of the highest quality prospects in European football at this age level. He will be a great footballer in the future,” Mourinho said on Saturday, via TMW.
“From a legal point of view, Huijsen is available to play tomorrow, but he is a boy who arrived at the hotel last night, who trained for an hour today. He had an introductory meeting to try and get into our philosophy, our dynamics.
“If you ask me, he is ready to play, if he plays, he plays. He has great confidence in himself. He has no Serie A experience, but he has confidence typical of a player with lots of potential. It will practically be a debut in Serie A, 10 minutes against Milan were nothing.”
Roma’s game against Atalanta is a crucial fixture in the race for European football, as the Giallorossi currently find themselves one point and one position behind Sunday’s opponents in the Serie A table.
Roma occupy seventh place with 28 points, five points shy of the top four, while Atalanta sit in sixth with 29 heading into Sunday’s clash.