An Introduction To… Vito Mannone

At the start of the season Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone was largely unheard of away from the Emirates. Now he is being classed as one of the best prospects in Premier League football, after a string of impressive performances for the Gunners first team.

Mannone was well and truly thrown in at the deep end; starting his first match of the season in the Champions League, away to Belgian champions Standard Liege. The opportunity arose after a knee injury sidelined Lukasz Fabianski and first choice Manuel Almunia went down with a chest infection.

The 21year old endured a nightmare start to the match, conceding two goals inside the first five minutes. However Arsenal rallied and eventually overcame their opponents 3-2. Manager Arsene Wenger kept faith with Mannone for the team’s next match (a 4-0 win over Wigan) and the young goalkeeper has gone from strength to strength ever since.

Mannone joined Arsenal from Atalanta FC in 2005 but despite making his debut in the final game of last season, first team opportunities appeared to be limited and he had looked set for a loan move this term before Fabianski’s injury meant a promotion up the order.

Speaking to the Arsenal matchday programme, Mannone said: “In the summer, yes, we had a talk about a loan move,”

“The boss was quite happy for me to go somewhere and play, because as you can see now, I was ready to play games.

“Now things have changed, it’s a different situation, but in the summer I was looking forward to a loan move, to get some experience.

“A couple of teams were lined up, but then Lukasz got injured and they told me to stay. It’s funny how things happen in football.”

After five wins and three clean sheets, the Italian will now have eyes on challenging Almunia and Fabianski for a regular starting spot. Beyond that, he may even hold hopes of international recognition and his team-mates appear to be right behind him in that respect.

“They are calling me Gigi [Buffon, the Italian No 1],” Mannone said.

“It’s a very big compliment for me. Even in training now, when I make a save – I’m not Vito anymore!”

Gareth Freeman writes for Betfair, the world’s best betting exchange. Get the latest insider scoop on all your favorite leagues at Betfair today!