Nicolo Zaniolo has been named as Player of the Tournament after the inaugural edition of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup.
The Udinese forward received the award – voted for by the accredited media – following his outstanding display in the opening match, which Udinese won 1-0 against Nottingham Forest.
The trophy – crafted by Giorgio Celiberti – was handed to him by Friuli Venezia Giulia president Massimiliano Fedriga and Udinese owner Gianpaolo Pozzo.
“It's always nice to lift a trophy and to be named best player,” Zaniolo said to Sky Sport Italia after the award ceremony. “I'm happy with these two wins against international opposition.
“We've been preparing well and next week we'll start with the matches that really matter. We'll be ready for it.
“There was a bit of jesting in the dressing room about the fact we hadn't won yet in this pre-season but we're all getting in top shape for when there are points on the line. We want to win every match and today was an opportunity to be with our fans again. It was a great evening.
“If you want to win, you have to give everything in training too – that's perhaps even more important than doing it in matches. If we can be more pragmatic and a bit tougher, we can do even better.
“I've always said I feel at home here. Some things happened this summer and I was wrong, but you can learn from situations like that and come back even stronger – like from injuries. Now I want to prove myself to the fans on the pitch.
“I've never hidden the fact that I hope to get back in the Italy squad. I'll work hard to try and earn a call-up in September, but of course it's up to the coach. I'll try to make sure I'm able to help the national team. I haven't spoken to [Roberto] Mancini yet. I have a lot of respect for him and I'll always be grateful to him for giving me my big break.”