The 17-year-old Perth product has been a surprise pre-season packet at Gladbach, featuring three times for the first team and scoring in the 5–1 romp over Turkish Super Lig outfit Istanbul Basaksehir.
He also got a look-in against Augsburg and 45 minutes against Spain’s Rayo Vallecano during a week in Bavaria.
Whilst happy to heap praise on the gifted attacking weapon, Gladbach’s chief scout Mario Vossen doesn’t want to burden the Australian youth international with stratospheric expectations.
“It’s very important not to place to much pressure on Jacob at this stage,” said Vossen who gave Socceroos attacker Matthew Leckie his Bundesliga opportunity at Gladbach.
“We have to develop him carefully. He did a very good training camp with the first team and it was a good step so far.
“He’s self confident and open and everybody is happy with his progress so far. But it’s also important not to expect too much too fast.”
Italiano was plucked from the Under-23s - who will compete in Germany’s fourth tier this season - for the first team’s training camp by head coach Marco Rose.
He’s earned public plaudits from sporting director Max Eberl and if he continues to flourish, Vossen isn’t ruling out senior minutes during the upcoming season with Gladbach who qualified for the Europa League and looking to excel in the domestic DFB-Pokal.
“The plan is for him to get minutes on the field and then you never know what’s going to happen because we will be playing a lot of games for the first team with the cup competitions,” he added.
“Our sporting director talked about him in the press in a very positive way, as did our head coach and top talent coach. It’s pleasing when they have a good opinion of a young talent.”
Italiano, who has also netted already for the Under-23s - is just five weeks into the steepest learning curve of his career, and will be closely monitored every step of the way.
One of his interfaces with the first team squad is former Polish international Eugen Polanski who has returned to the fold as the club’s designated top talent coach.
“He will have good contact with Jacob and will be working hard with him from this point on,” said Vossen.
“Eugen will be the transition point between all the teams up to the first team and if the head coach wants a player for training then Eugen decides which players move up.
“Or if he feels a player is ready to join the first team for a pro game, that’s the role of Eugen.”
Gladbach’s other resident Australian, former Melbourne Victory youngster Christian Theoharous, is according Vossen “fighting for his position” with the second team.
“He still has so much potential but he he has to fight for it,” added Vossen of the 19-year-old attacker.
“He’s not with the first team at the moment and Jacob was with them after two weeks.”
