Italy manager Roberto Mancini believes it will take West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca a number of months to settle in England.
In July, the Hammers completed a deal worth £30.5million, potentially rising to £35.5m in add-ons, to sign the 23-year-old Italian international from Sassuolo.
While he has had little game time so far in the Premier League, Scamacca is the club’s joint-top scorer in all competitions this season, scoring all three of his goals in four starts for David Moyes’ side in the Europa Conference League.
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A non-existent pre-season, as well as illness has not helped his settling-in period, but goals against Danish sides Viborg and Silkeborg have given a glimpse of what the striker, who scored 16 goals in Serie A last season, can bring to the London Stadium.
Scamacca is currently on international duty with Italy for their UEFA Nations League matches against England and Hungary on Friday and Monday respectively, hoping to add to his seven international caps and get his first goal for Italy at senior level.
Speaking on the West Ham striker, Mancini, who won the Premier League with Manchester City as a manager and also EURO 2020 in charge of Italy, admits it will take Scamacca time to adjust to the Premier League, but has backed the Hammers’ No.7 to do so.
“Scamacca joined a difficult league and it will take some time to understand English football," said Mancini, as reported by Football Italia. He will take four or five months to settle in, but time is by his side.”
Scamacca has played five times in the Premier League so far, with four of those outings coming off the bench in defeats to Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Everton.
His only league start was in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa last month, playing just 167 league minutes so far this term.
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