Jose Mourinho has a new kid on the block as teenager Afena-Gyan destroys Genoa

No teenager has trended more than Felix Afena-Gyan in the past few days. The 18-year-old joined AS Roma in January from a high school team in Ghana.

Despite being new to professional football, he exceled at Roma’s youth teams, which earned him an invitation to train with the senior team in September.

Afena-Gyan made his debut in Roma’s 2-1 win over Cagliari and was again introduced in the club’s defeat to AC Milan in late October.

His cameo appearances, however, impressed manager Jose Mourinho and the Portuguese once again included him in the squad to face Genoa on Sunday. Having struggled to break down their opponents, Mourinho brought on Afena-Gyan and he delivered beyond expectations.

The teen sensation came on in the 74th minute to replace the jaded Eldor Shomurodov. Eight minutes later, he was on the score sheet after beating the Genoa goalkeeper with a sweeping shot.

The Giallorossi continued to press and Afena-Gyan got his second goal deep into injury time when he scored from over 35 yards to seal a 2-0 victory for Roma.

It’s been a fairytale journey for the Ghanaian youngster, who has gone from an unknown player to being one of Mourinho’s favorites in just a few months.

For a teenager to come off the bench and influence a game the way he did against Genoa demands character and confidence. Afena-Gyan appears to have both in abundance at the moment.

Despite the narrative that Mourinho does not give young players a chance, there is enough evidence that he has helped nurture several talents.

At Chelsea, he took a young Mikel Obi under his wings and turned him into a fine defensive midfielder. He did the same with Scott McTominay, who is now a regular at Manchester United.

It appears Mourinho has found his latest prodigy in Afena-Gyan, having bought the teenager trainers worth €800 for his exploits against Genoa.

Afena-Gyan is still very young and has a long way to go to even become a regular at Roma. However, he has shown that he has the temperament and talent to play a big role in the team and, under Mourinho, he could soon become a superstar.