Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano explained how he discovered wonderkid Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues by “accident” after the teenager signed his first professional contract with the Isuzu UTE A-League club.
The 16-year-old is the youngest Phoenix player to feature in the Isuzu UTE A-League, having debuted last month.
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“For me, it was a no-brainer to sign him. He showed potential from day one,” Italiano told reporters in Wellington as the Premiership aspirants prepare to face Newcastle Jets away from home on Friday night.
“Once you have an exciting talent like that, you want to lock him down early so you can invest your time and resources into him.
“If keeps going the way he’s been training and playing, there’s a bright future for him.”
Sloane-Rodrigues made the move to Wellington with his mother Donna aged 14, linking up with Phoenix’s academy.
He was spotted by Italiano while playing for Phoenix’s thirds in the Capital Premier League.
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Asked what he looks for in young players, the Wellington boss replied: “In a simple way of describing it would be I look for something out of the norm, something different.
“What has happened in a large part now in coaching circles, we have this idea of a curriculum base so a lot of things are done to create a certain type of player. So when you see something different that usually catches the eye, that’s always a positive sign.
“The story is when I saw Gab by accident. It wasn’t by intention to go watch his game which was after the reserves. I just happened to be there and watched him.
“I saw him dribble the first time and I’m like okay that’s different. Then I watched him dribble at an opponent and then he switched the ball to the other side on the run. I’m like alright, I don’t see many kids doing that.
“I thought he actually wanted to get on the ball all the time which is a really, really good sign. So I thought why not bring him in?
“It was both (Luke) Supyk and Gab that came in the next session. They hit the ground running and both signed.”
New Zealand Under-17 international Sloane-Rodrigues also spoke of Oskar Zawada’s impact since he linked up with the first team.
“In pre-season, he’d get me in the gym after trainings and get me to do recovery with him. Learnt lots from him,” Sloane-Rodrigues revealed.
