Franco Mastantuono’s loan move to Fiorentina was supposed to provide the fresh start he desperately needed after a difficult debut season at Real Madrid.
Instead, the Argentine is finding life in Italy just as challenging, with his latest outing against Torino on Saturday offering little encouragement.
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Three games into the Serie A season, Mastantuono is yet to find his feet, and Fiorentina’s results have been equally poor.
A missed chance that summed it all up
As reported by Diario SPORT, Mastantuono had one of Fiorentina’s best opportunities of the first half against Torino, latching onto a loose ball and finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
It was the kind of chance he was sent to Italy to convert. But the 19-year-old failed to find the net, and the miss proved costly.
Coach Fabio Grosso withdrew him at half-time out of frustration.
The game ended in another defeat for Florentina, who lost 2-1 to fall to three consecutive losses at the start of the campaign. Soon after the game, videos of Mastantuono’s performance against Torino got viral on X.
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They now sit in the bottom reaches of the Serie A table, with zero points from their opening three fixtures.
A worrying pattern
Mastantuono’s performances at Fiorentina should worry Real Madrid. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Mastantuono has started all three matches, but the results tell a damning story: defeats to Roma, Frosinone and now Torino without a single goal or assist to his name.
The Argentine constantly offers himself and looks to get involved, but he remains wasteful in front of goal, the very issue he was sent to Florence to resolve.
His move to Fiorentina was designed to give him the continuity and reduced pressure he lacked at Real Madrid, where his first season fell well short of the sky-high expectations that accompanied his €60 million transfer from River Plate.
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Mastantuono himself admitted in August that his year in Madrid “was not easy,” and Fiorentina appeared to be the ideal environment to rebuild his confidence in a league that should suit his skillset.
There is plenty of season left for both the player and the club to turn things around, but the early signs have been concerning.
For Real Madrid, who are covering part of his salary during the loan, the hope is that this rough patch proves temporary.
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