SAN JOSE, Calif.- Club America’s current talking points are not that they momentarily sit out of Liga MX’s version of ‘playoffs’ nor the injuries that plague the team, but the emergence of teen sensation Diego Lainez. Crafted by America’s academy and hand picked by renown coach Ricardo La Volpe; Lainez’s recent impressive cameos with the first-team have placed him in the limelight as America’s next homegrown star.
Club America’s Coach Ricardo La Volpe Praises 16-Year-Old Gem Diego Lainez’s Mentality
The 16-year-old midfielder first debuted earlier this month in a Copa MX match between America and Santos Laguna. Since then, the starlet has played in two league matches (versus Leon and Pumas), and most recently in a FIFA-break friendly against Monarcas Morelia in San Jose. Lainez continued his streak as a starter and showcased his worth which earned the Mexican youngster praise from his Argentine boss.
La Volpe has seen every kind of player during his 34 years as a manager. He has been at the helm of over 10 Mexican clubs, two Argentine clubs including Boca Juniors, and has coached internationally for Costa Rica and Mexico. Lainez is not the first youngster to get a crack at first team play under La Volpe. Mexican international Andres Guardado earned his first taste of World Cup play in 2006 under the same La Volpe at a tender 19-years-of-age before making his jump to Spian’s La Liga. Club America’s boss emphasized on the unique situation that paved the path for Lainez to show his worth.
“First, like I’ve said it, circumstances develop in soccer things happen that no one expects,” La Volpe said. “Out goes Renato (Ibarra) who gets injured; Darwin (Quintero) gets injured, so I needed a player with spark, with a lot of talent, and that’s what Diego has.”
Half a year ago, it was America defender Edson Alvarez making headlines debuting only three days after turning 19 and a couple weeks after the club’s centenarian birthday. The club’s special year continues to be fitting, as Lainez’s Liga MX start against Leon marked the youngest player debut in team’s history. In Diego’s situation, the rarity and level of mental maturity at such an age is proving to effectively outweigh his talent, according to manager La Volpe.
“A young player, very young but that has all the conditions because he has character,” La Volpe said. “He has the mentality, he has character, and more so he has the technique. Sometimes, the shirt weighs you down, but it didn’t to him ever since I put him in the cup game against Santos (Laguna). In a difficult match that turned complicated in Leon, he gave us that clarity and that talented physicalness in that match against Leon, and from there on out he has continued to grow.”
