Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino has clarified why he substituted  teenage centre-back Honest Anahor in the first half of his side’s 2-0 victory over SS Lazio on Saturday at the Stadium Olimpico. 

Born in Aversa, Italy, Anahor uses a Nigerian passport in domestic and European matches as he will only be eligible for an Italian passport next week upon turning 18.

Anahor, who joined the Bergamo-based club last summer, was withdrawn in the 25th minute after picking up an early yellow card. 

Former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac was introduced in his place as Palladino opted for caution in the tightly contested encounter.

Speaking after the match, Palladino insisted the decision was purely tactical and disciplinary rather than a reflection of the youngster’s performance. 

"Today, for example, I substituted Ahanor not out of demerit," the Italian manager said as quoted by Tuttoatalanta.

"But simply because he was booked and we couldn't risk being down to ten men in such a tight match. The boy understood this perfectly."

The Italian tactician added that a similar reasoning applied to his halftime decision regarding Giorgio Scalvini. 

"The same goes for Scalvini at halftime: no failures, just pure tactical and disciplinary management," he added. 

Anahor was shown a yellow card in the 12th minute, just moments after teammate Scalvini was also cautioned by the referee. 

With both defenders already on bookings early in the game, Palladino chose to avoid the risk of a potential red card that could have altered the course of the match.

Despite the early substitution, the 17-year-old has been sensational in his debut campaign, with the booking marking his first in 15 league appearances, underlining his composure and discipline for much of the season.

Adeyemi Adewale