Better than Alisson? Audero is the keeper with highest save percentage

He may not be a household name, but the on-loan Sampdoria goalkeeper is shining in his first season as a Serie Astarter

No goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues is having a season quite like Emil Audero.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper, who recently made his debut with Italy's Under-21 team, has the highest save percentage in Europe.

Audero is currently on loan with Sampdoria and is thriving in his first season starting in Serie A.

The goalkeeper is a product of Juventus' acedemy but only earned a single league appearance after signing his first professional contract in 2016.

He then spent the 2017-18 season on loan with Serie B side Venezia before joining Sampdoria this summer on a loan deal with an option to buy.

Audero has stopped an astounding 87.5 per cent of shots he's faced, putting him ahead of some of the world's most talked-about players at his position.

Just behind Audero is Tottenham's Hugo Lloris, who has saved 86.67 per cent of shots despite playing half the games of the young Italian shot-stopper.

Another Premier League star, Alisson, is just behind that at 85.71 per cent with Gianluigi Buffon's 83.33 per cent and Rui Patricio's 82.86 per cent rounding out the top 5.

The former Juventus goalkeeper is cited by Audero as an inspiration, and the young goalkeeper says Buffon reached out to him before the season with words of encouragement.

But how does Audero compare to those in Serie A? Samir Handanovic, widely recognized as the league's best goalkeeper, has stopped 79.31 per cent of shots while Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny is currently at 73.68.

As for Audero's countryman Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Milan star is at just 56.52 per cent, as Audero has proven himself the best young Italian goalkeeper in the league so far this season.

With Audero leading the way, Sampdoria has just four goals conceded in eight matches in Serie A, the fewest in the league, as the club has rocketed up to fifth in the table.