One of the most exciting young strikers in European football doesn’t grace the turf of a Premier League ground week in, week out nor does he walk out to the Champions League anthem every second week.

In fact, he doesn’t even ply his trade in the upper echelons of one of Europe’s top five leagues. Not yet, anyway.

But by most metrics, Francesco Pio Esposito is one of the best Under-20 forwards in European football right now and certainly the most prolific.

The Spezia striker is currently Serie B’s top scorer with 11 goals in 22 matches, the most for players born from 2005 onwards across the first and second divisions of Europe’s top five leagues.

Esposito’s 11 goals in all competitions put him ahead of FC Nurnberg starlet Stefanos Tzimas, who has scored nine goals in Bundesliga 2, and Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who has found the net eight times so far this season.

Eli Junior Kroupi also has eight goals to his name for Ligue 2 leaders Lorient, while Brazilian sensation Vitor Roque has seven goals in all competitions for Real Betis.

At 19 years of age, Roque and Esposito are the oldest of a very young bunch with Tzimas and Kroupi only 18, while Yamal is still only 17 years of age, despite having a league title and a European Championship crown to his name already.

Esposito is yet to win a senior cap for Italy, but his record of seven goals in 11 appearances for the Under-21 team speaks for itself. Four of those goals came against San Marino in September, making him the first player since Alberto Gilardino to score four times in the same game for the Azzurrini and earning praise from Luciano Spalletti.

“He’s a natural footballer with an eye for goal,” the Italy manager said. “He’s physically imposing and has a promising future.”

But it is in Serie B where Esposito, who came through Inter Milan’s youth system and is still owned by the Nerazzurri, has made the difference so far this season.

His 11 goals account for almost a third of his team’s total so far and have been a key factor in the Ligurians’ unexpected promotion push. Spezia finished 15th last season, just three points above the relegation zone, but head into Friday night’s showdown against league leaders Sassuolo in third place, 10 points adrift of the Neroverdi.

Playing alongside his brother Salvatore, Esposito began the campaign with a bang scoring the opener away against Pisa and hasn’t looked back, equalling his goal tally from last term just six games into the season.

Crucially for a striker, Esposito’s contributions have come when it matters most with the 19-year-old scoring the deciding goal in 1-0 victories over Reggiana, Modena and Catanzaro.

With a goal per 131.6 minutes, the Spezia frontman’s goal ratio is second only to those of Kroupi and Tzimas, who average one goal per 114.6 minutes and one goal per 121.1 minutes respectively.

Vitor Roque’s seven goals have come at a ratio of one per 216.7 minutes, while Yamal has found the net once every 231 minutes.

It speaks volumes for Esposito’s importance to Spezia that among the quintet only the Barcelona prodigy has started more frequently this season, being included in the XI for 24 of his 26 appearances.

Esposito has started 18 of his 21 appearances, while Vitor Roque was in Real Betis’ XI in 15 of the 21 matches he has played, a figure that drops to 12 in 16 appearances for Tzimas and just 10 in 17 matches for Kroupi.

From a mental standpoint, the Inter loanee has shown the kind of maturity that belies his young age. After finding the net against Catanzaro, Esposito went three matches without scoring and missed a penalty against Juve Stabia – his hometown team – two weeks ago as Spezia’s promotion push faltered.

The teenager was back to his best with a double in the thrashing of Carrarese at the weekend and spoke of his relief after ending his goal drought.

“The pressure of the last few games has been a real test,” he said. “The near misses have been frustrating, but they’ve helped me grow as a player. I’m determined to use this experience to help Spezia get back to Serie A.”

If he keeps scoring goals at this rate, Serie A may well beckon for Spezia.