Juventus: What do we expect to see from Kaio Jorge?

From getting compared to Neymar Jr, Roberto Firmino, and Lautaro Martínez to eventually holding the Bianconeri shirt with the number 21 printed on its back, Brazil’s 19-year-old Kaio Jorge has enjoyed a wonderful few months.

The adolescent outlet emerging through the ranks of Santos made his dream move to one of the most formidable clubs in Europe, signing for Juventus in a deal worth €5.4m last summer.

Previously, it was reported that the samba sensation would join Juventus in the winter. But the dire need for reinforcements before the summer transfer deadline led to the Old Lady getting the deal over the line quite hastily.

In case you didn’t know…

Born in Olinda, Kaio Jorge is the son of Jorge Ramos, formerly a footballer who had a rather disappointing one-year spell in Europe with G.D. Chaves (a Portuguese club currently playing in the second division). As with most of the superstars coming out of Brazil, Kaio began on the futsal pitch, brimming with confidence and showing off his trickeries with a ball on the hardcourt.

He was destined to play with the ball, of course, but on a different sort of pitch covered with tiny grass. The world-renowned scouting system of Santos spotted the growing aura of the kid. At the age of ten, Jorge joined the academy famous for honing the attributes of some of Brazil’s finest. Pele, Neymar Jr, and Rodrygo are just a couple of names that have managed to sneak out of the respective academy to establish themselves under the most vivid lights of European football.

As Brazil outclassed others to win the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2019 on home soil, Kaio Jorge bagged the Bronze Boot for the tournament, scoring five goals in the competition. Netting a penalty, Jorge equalised for Brazil in the final against Mexico, only to see Lázaro Vinícius scoring the decisive goal in the added minutes to hand the Canarinho the coveted accolade.

What is the latest on Kaio Jorge at Juventus?

Not only did Juventus sign Kaio Jorge in the summer transfer market, but they also immediately promoted him to the senior rank of the club. The decision to upgrade the status of the 19-year-old so early certainly raised a few eyebrows.

And when he was about to be given his first-team debut by returning Juventus gaffer Massimiliano Allegri, an unfortunate injury struck him down. It took a while for Jorge to represent the J-shaped crest in an official game, but the Derby della Mole provided Allegri with a perfect opportunity to introduce the young Brazilian to calcio in Bianconeri colours. It was a brief cameo, one that lasted a single minute.

As reported by TMW, Cagliari, Sampdoria, and Sassuolo are considering signing the young Juventus forward on loan in the approaching January transfer window.

Surely Juventus must decide to act after assessing several factors such as the availability of their transfer targets like Dušan Vlahović, the status of the injured forwards like Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala, the astute destination for the youngster to develop, financial implications and so on.

What should we expect of him?

Since joining Juventus from Santos in the summer, we’ve seen a mere minute of Kaio Jorge. We haven’t seen anything we had expected to witness from the starlet wreaking havoc in Soth America one year ago.

With a frame of almost 6ft, Kaio Jorge, yet a teenager, has never been a bombastic goalscorer on the senior circuit, neither do we expect him to be at such a tender age. But with the stakes being enormously high, it is unlikely that he will start a game at all for the Old Lady this season – in Serie A, at least.

Therefore, it would be rational of Juventus to send him out on loan in January to an Italian club, where he will get to play regular football and learn more about the quality of the game played in the Italian top-flight. The sooner he starts playing regularly, the better it would be for Jorge and Juve.

Juventus prefers sending youngsters from their academy on loan to other Serie A clubs to first sharpen their skillsets and then utilise their attributes for further goods. Over the years, it has proven to be an effective way to harness an aspiring prodigy.

Kaio Jorge, by no means, is a finished article. He has that raw pace to make defence-penetrating runs down the flanks and behind the defensive line. His hold-up play, as shown in this article written by James Horncastle, is adequately proficient, meaning he can play any distinctive role and in any position upfront.

Bearing in mind that Jorge needs a coach who understands him and aims to work on his vulnerabilities with extra attention, Juventus must begin searching for the prospect’s next club, which would be his temporary home after Juventus.