Italian goalscoring sensation wasn't born in Italy, never played in Italy and doesn't speak Italian

Sometimes, the solution to all your woes is on the other side on the planet, just waiting for you to discover it. At least, that is the case for the Italian national team, whose saviour came from South America.

Italy national coach Roberto Mancini had a big problem when his first-choice striker Ciro Immobile got injured. The pain increased when Immobile's deputy Gianluca Scamacca failed to get playing time at West Ham. But Mancini's headache disappeared when he called up Mateo Retegui, the Argentinean whose only connection to Italy is his maternal grandmother. It may not be much, but it's enough.

The 23-year-old was born just outside the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires and was drafted to contribute goals and that's what he's done. He's the first Italian international to score in his first appearances for the country in the last 55 years. Retegui, who plays for Tigre in Argentina, quickly earned praise from Italian media - and he's pretty much the only one who got any. The rest of the team was poor in the home defeat to England and the far-from-convincing 2-0 win in Malta.

Mancini was delighted with the Argentine's contribution in the victory over Malta, but has called the fans to be patient because there is much more to come.

"Retegui? He unlocked the match, he was essential. But I repeat: he needs time, he still needs to properly get to know European football, he needs time."

Retegui will probably get a chance to improve his Italian language skills and get to know the country of his grandmother in the future. According to multiple reports, there are several Serie A clubs interested in acquiring the dynamic goalscorer in the upcoming transfer window. Inter, Milan, Lazio, Atalanta and Juventus have all been mentioned as potential suitors. Besides them, Atletico Madrid is also an option for the attacking revelation from South America.

Mancini's got the goalscorer he needed so badly. Now he has to figure out what to do with the rest of the team.