Patrick Cutrone says Italian teams favour foreigners other local players

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Patrick Cutrone has said that Italian teams tend to favour foreign players rather than banking on the local talent. The Italy international ended his 12-year association with boyhood club AC Milan earlier this summer after he was handed with the chance to join the Premier League with Wolves.

Since then, he has made an impression with three assists in the Europa League third round qualifying but he has yet to be rewarded with a starting role in the league. Speaking to Goal.com Cutrone revealed that domestic prospects don’t stand much of a chance of excelling in the Serie A, given the top sides tend to look at signing foreign-based players.

He added that the story is the same for teammate and compatriot Moise Kean, who is currently in the ranks of Everton, he said: "Me and Kean in the Premier League? It's always the same story - foreigners are preferred to us. For us twenty-somethings, it's hard, but in any case I'd like to emphasise something - I’ll always be grateful to Milan for what they gave me."

Wolves have had a comfortable progress through the qualification rounds of the Europa League but they now face a tough test against Torino at the play-off stage. Cutrone is quite familiar with Torino from his time in the Serie A and he is aware that the challenge won’t be straightforward, he added: "It'll be tough against Torino. They're a good team and there are several similarities between us and them - passionate fans, character, pride, a sense of belonging."

Wolves have started the Premier League campaign with a couple of draws against Leicester City and Manchester United. Their next league encounter comes against Burnley at the Molineux, but prior to that, they face Torino in the opening leg of the Europa League play-off round in Turin.