UEFA rules keep Melnyk out of Napoli's match at Porto
The teenage full-back had been tipped to ease the crisis on the flanks, but he has not been at the club long enough. Only five youth players can still be added for the game at the Dragão on Wednesday 4 November.
Melnyk will not play at the Dragão. The full-back, born in 2008, had already travelled to Turin with the first-team squad. He still cannot be added to List B, the UEFA register for club-trained youngsters, which only accepts players with at least two years in the club's academy. Melnyk arrived in August 2025, so he has been at Napoli for 15 months. Baridò and Pereyra are ruled out for the same reason. There is no room on List A either: the club has already used its only temporary replacement there to bring in Giovane for Favasuli.
Five players from the Primavera (Napoli's youth team) can still be added to List B: goalkeeper Pugliese, centre-back Lieto, midfielder Chiummariello, Favicchio and Esposito. Nocerino left all five out of his squad for the UEFA Youth League game against Porto. With Di Lorenzo, Olivera, Spinazzola and Favasuli all missing, Allegri has only three recognised defenders: Beukema, Rrahmani and Rafa Marín.
Read also De Laurentiis backs Allegri after the 2-0 defeat to Juventus
The real question is for whoever built this squad. A team with Champions League ambitions should not reach November without a single full-back it can use in Europe. It should not have to search the youth ranks for one, only to find the rules close that route too. The team will pay for it on the pitch at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET) on Wednesday 4 November.
Source: Spazio Napoli
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