Dundee United are ready to fight tooth and nail to keep teenage sensation Lorenzo Sassetti at Tannadice after the 15-year-old became the club’s youngest ever first-team player this week.
In the midweek Premier Sports Cup win over The Spartans, Sassetti came off the bench to make his bow at just 15 years, five months and 12 days old. United sit ninth in the Premiership with 33 points from 33 games last season, three points clear of the bottom three but 37 behind title winners Heart Of Midlothian.
Why Sassetti’s debut matters for Dundee United
Sassetti’s record-breaking appearance underlined Dundee United’s standing as a club that nurtures young talent. The Italian-Scottish forward has already starred for United’s under-19s, under-17s and under-15s, and Goodwin believes he deserves his chance at senior level.
“Lorenzo deserves his opportunity,” Goodwin said. “There’s been a lot made on social media about the boy ripping up the under-19s league and at his own level with the under-17s and under-15s. He’s got a decision to make in terms of nationality but, on the club front, we’re desperate to keep him.”
United have made Sassetti an offer and hope to convince him to stay and become the next top talent off the Tannadice conveyor belt. Goodwin added: “We’ve made him a really good offer and he knows that we think the world of him here.”
The battle to keep young Scots talent
Goodwin also used Sassetti’s case to highlight the wider challenge Scottish clubs face retaining their best young players. English clubs have increasingly moved in on Scottish teenagers since Brexit, with Everton recently striking a deal for United striker Kai Hutchison.
“Heads can get turned,” Goodwin admitted. “There are agents involved and it becomes very difficult for us to manage the situation. I certainly think that the governing bodies of world football need to have a look at it because we’re doing all the hard work at the beginning.”
United have seen three academy graduates - Sam Cleall-Harding, Owen Stirton and Cohen Leiper - make their mark this season, which ended with 34 goals scored and 53 conceded for a goal difference of minus 19.
What happens next for Sassetti and United
Sassetti can’t feature in the Premiership until he turns 16, but Goodwin argues the rules should change. “It’s great in this competition that, at 15, you can play because in the league the rules are a little bit different, which I don’t really agree with,” he said. “I think if you’re 15 and you’re good enough then you should be allowed to go and play.”
Goodwin has given youth a chance throughout his time at United, and he insists the club will keep pushing that pathway. “We talk to them about what the pathway looks like and what their development plan looks like,” he said. “There’s been great historical success at this club in bringing through young players and we’ll continue to try and do that.”
Dundee United’s season is on hold until the Premiership restarts, with Goodwin focused on keeping Sassetti and pushing the rest of the academy forward.
