Pioli: Leao reminds me so much of Henry at the beginning of his career

Following his superb 26-minute stint against Roma, Milan head manager Stefano Pioli likened Rafael Leao to a young

Thierry Henry

, believing the future is very bright for the attacker. 

After missing a month due to a thigh injury, the Portugal international came in as a substitute in Milan's 3-1 triumph at San Siro. 

The 22-year-old immediately started making an impression, breaking away from the visitors' defense and scoring the third goal to seal the victory.

Following another blazing run, Leao won a penalty for the hosts in the final minutes, which Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to score. 

The former Lille attacker has already scored five goals in

this season, second only to Ibrahimovic (seven) for the Rossoneri. 

This season, he has completed 69 dribbles in the Italian top division, a figure only surpassed by

Nicolo Zaniolo

(78) and

Felipe Anderson

(77). 

His manager has compared his style of play to that of famous Juventus striker Henry, who won the World Cup, European Championship,

, and five domestic trophies during a spectacular career.

"Leao reminds me so much of Henry at the beginning of his career when he started from the left," Pioli said.

"He has the talent to get to the top of the world, but talent alone is not enough.

"He's getting close to 100 percent; he still can't be [fully fit] and will need minutes. 

"He has to work with a lot of ambition; he can get to be a really strong player on the European and world scene."

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