Mancini: 'Napoli would have won Serie A with Higuain'

Had Gonzalo Higuain not left Napoli for Juventus, Roberto Mancini thinks Maurizio Sarri's men would have finished top of Serie A.

Published : May 23, 2017 00:55 IST

Napoli would have won the Scudetto this season if they still had Gonzalo Higuain in attack, according to Roberto Mancini.

Higuain scored a record 36 goals in 35 Serie A appearances as Napoli finished second to Juventus in 2015-16, form that encouraged the Turin giants to spend €90 million to sign him.

The Argentina international has won a domestic double in his first campaign with the Bianconeri and victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League final on June 3 would make it the first treble in the club's history.

Napoli has accumulated a club record 83 points this season to leave the side third behind Juve and Roma with one game to play, and Mancini thinks it could have overthrown Massimiliano Allegri's side if Blues had retained Higuain.

He told La Domenica Sportiva on Rai 2: "Who got the best deal with Higuain? Everyone; Napoli because they got a large sum, Higuain because he won the title and is in the Champions League final, Juve because it is clear that adding him with Dybala has improved them.

"Juve's solid core is very important and helps the new arrivals to fit in well. Those who have come in are great players, so in the end they're the strongest team.

"Juve will continue to win if the others try to do worse. Napoli had their best season with records for points and goals and finished third. I think Roma are closest to Juve but they still came second.

"I think that Napoli would have won the Scudetto with Higuain."

 

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment