Samuele Inacio Could Shape Dortmund's And Italy's Future, Kovac Predicts

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Samuele Inacio’s first Bundesliga appearance for Borussia Dortmund has drawn high praise from head coach Niko Kovac, who believes the young midfielder could shape the future of both the club and the Italy national team after a composed debut against Bayern Munich.

The 17-year-old came off the bench with 15 minutes left, replacing Maximilian Beier during Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich, and in limited time Inacio won two of his three duels, including his only attempted dribble, while also regaining possession three times in the high-pressure Klassiker.

Kovac trusted Inacio in what is often described as German football’s biggest fixture, then underlined that faith in an interview with Kicker, saying of the teenager: "He's a great footballer," before expanding on why the coach sees such long-term potential in the midfielder.

"If he stays healthy, he will have a really great career. At the age of 17, I already see what a good player for the future needs. He could be not only the future of this club, but also that of Italian football with the national team. We're happy. Samuele is 17 years old and will definitely do well. I was happy with his debut, and it was against Bayern Munich. Imagine that... it's not bad! He is making great progress. He's a very clean player, technically, and as an eight or a 10, he sees things on the pitch at the age of 17 that others don't see at the age of 30."

Inacio is a product of Atalanta’s respected youth system and has been capped by Italy at every age group up to under-18 level, while also holding Brazilian nationality, giving the midfielder a dual background that adds interest to any future senior international decision.

Kovac highlighted Inacio’s tactical intelligence, describing how the midfielder can operate as a number eight or number 10, with the coach stressing that Inacio already reads situations that some experienced players, even at 30 years old, still struggle to recognise during matches.

With Dortmund now 11 points behind Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga table, Inacio may receive further minutes as the season continues, and the next chance could come when Dortmund visit Koln on Saturday, where the coaching staff will again assess how the 17-year-old handles senior-level pressure.

The early signs from Inacio’s debut suggest Dortmund have added another technically strong midfielder with vision and calmness, and Kovac’s praise indicates the club sees a long-term project, with both Dortmund and Italian football standing to benefit if the teenager continues this steady progress.