“He’s a great guy” – Gennaro Gattuso says Valencia star could be ‘ideal man’ for his 18-year-old daughter
Valencia manager Gennaro Gattuso has named Los Che defender Toni Lato as an 'ideal man' for his 18-year-old daughter. The former Italy international made the comments in a press conference shortly after his side earned an important 5-1 victory against Getafe in La Liga on Sunday, September 4.
Toni Lato was one of the standout performers in the encounter. The Spaniard opened the scoring for Valencia just seven minutes into the game before Samuel Lino, Samu Castillejo, Nico Gonzalez and Hugo Duro added to their tally.
Apart from scoring the opening goal, Lato impressed many with his brilliance on the left side of the defense. He was solid at the back and also proved dangerous going forward.
Among the many plaudits, Gennaro Gattuso's remarks stood out, with the tactician declaring that he considers the defender an ideal partner for his 18-year-old daughter.
"We're lucky to have a player like Toni Lato," the Italian told the press conference, as quoted by DailyStar.
"He's a great guy. My daughter is very young, she is only 18. But someone like Toni is an ideal man for her. You can see what a guy he is, humble and hardworking," he added.
Toni Lato rose through the ranks at Valencia before earning promotion into the senior team in July 2017.
He spent loan spells at PSV Eindhoven and Osasuna before returning and establishing himself at Valencia in 2020. Toni got the chance to work with Gennaro Gattuso this season, following the Italian's appointment earlier this summer.
He's been a regular in the team, featuring in all four of their La Liga games so far.
How Gennaro Gattuso's Valencia have fared in La Liga so far
Gennaro Gattuso won his first La Liga game as Valencia coach, defeating Girona 1-0 on the opening matchweek. He, however, lost by the same scoreline to Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid in his next two games before earning a big victory against Getafe on Sunday.
As it stands, Valencia occupy 10th position in the league table with six points from four games. Up next, they'll lock horns with Rao Vallecano on Saturday before facing Celta Vigo seven days later.