The fans who went to Deepdale to witness a cold FA Youth Cup third round tie against Rotherham United were treated to a spectacular performance and five goals from 16-year-old Felipe Rodriguez Gentile.
It wonβt be a name familiar to many, and even a quick Google search doesnβt bring up too much, but scoring five goals in a game where many of the players are a few years older than him certainly grabs the headlines.
Preston won the tie 6-1 in the end with Kitt Nelson grabbing the other goal from the spot. Rodriguez Gentile scored a variety of goals, with a couple of headers, a rebound, and his third of the day described by Lancashire Evening Post reporter Tom Sandells as a screamer.
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In the last 12 months we have seen youth strikers Mikey OβNeill and Finlay Cross-Adair being given chances in the first team. Ryan Lowe is clearly happy to give them a chance when the opportunity presents itself, and we hardly have an abundance of options in the attacking third, especially when one or two are injured.
Whilst Rodriguez Gentile has been playing for the Under 19βs since he was 15, he only turned 16 in October, meaning OβNeill and Cross-Adair are three and two years above him respectively in terms of academic years. It looks as if he represented Huyton Juniors a couple of years ago in a Liverpool based league.
Some of his goals and assists for Preston youth teams are available on his YouTube showreel, where he states he is eligible to represent Argentina, Brazil and Spain, quite the footballing background to have!
He looks a very calm player in the clips shown, and seems to score all sorts of goals. Heβs sure to get plenty more chances in the youth team now after his tremendous display in the cup, and Preston fans will be eagerly watching his progress.
With Youl Maweneβs son Noah captaining the side on Friday, and other promising players such as Josh Seary in the side, they will be hoping for a deep cup run this season.