Fabio Aru was one of the revelations of the 2013 season when he played a key role for Vincenzo Nibali in some of the major races of the season. In 2014, he is set to be a co-leader for Astana in the Giro d'Italia and is looking forward to more responsibility in the future.

Expectations were high for Fabio Aru when he first wore an Astana jersey at the USA Pro Challenge in late August 2012. Having finished 2nd in the Baby Giro and won the mountainous Giro della Valle d'Aosta Mont Blanc earlier in the season, he had hinted that a new big Italian climber could have been born.

Ary didn't disappoint as he finished 2nd behind Rory Sutherland on the queen stage in the American race - on just his 6th day of racing among the professionals. Later in the year, he confirmed his talents by a strong showing in the Giro dell'Emilia and so expectations were even greater for his first full season in the professional ranks.

Once again Aru exceeded expectations when he finished 4th in the Giro del Trentino while working for team leader and eventual winner Vincenzo Nibali. His strong riding earned him a selection as one of Nibali's support riders in the Giro and at just 22 years of age, he found himself riding in support of a grand tour winner.

Aru was hampered by illness for much of the race which saw him lose plenty of time and fall out of white jersey contention. Despite his health issues, he battled through the cold conditions and proved his potential when he finished 5th on the final big mountain stage to Tre Cime Lavaredo on the day when his team leader sealed the overall win.

Those results have earned Aru a leadership role at Astana. While Nibali will focus on the Tour de France, Aru will be a co-leader of the Kazakh team in the Giro d'Italia where he will ride alongside former winner Michele Scarponi. While the extra responsibility adds pressure, Aru is pleased to have earned so much trust at such a young age.

"I still have to prove myself," he told Spaziociclismo in an interview. "One things is to help a captain, it is another thing to try to make a result. I have to learn but I am pleased to have responsibility as it means that the team believes in me. Last year I showed myself in the race and I extended my contract until the end of 2015. To have such a big team, one of the strongest in the world, showing you that confidence, makes me happy."

Aru is not daunted by the prospect of riding alongside a rider like Scarponi who has finished in the top 4 in the Italian grand tour four times in a row.

"I am very pleased [to ride with Scarponi] as I have a great relationship with him," he said. "There is absolutely no problem. If he is strong, I will be happy to be his wingman. All great riders - like Nibali for Basso - have shown that you first need to learn how to help. If you have the legs, you can try to make a result."

At just 23 years of age, Aru still doesn't know exactly what he is capable of. Hence, the talented climber refuses to set a specific target for his Giro campaign.

"I don't know how far I can get or what result I am capable of," he said. "I would like to grow as a rider and take whatever will make me happy.

"The white jersey could be a goal but I do not want to focus solely on it," he said. "I want to give my best and see where I end up."

Until now, Aru has mostly shown himself in stage races but he doesn't rule out that he will target the hillier classics.

"This year, I didn't do the classics, at least not the ones in the Ardennes," he said. "But I am attracted by them. Grand tour riders like Vincenzo have shown that they can do well there. I want to see what I can do, I am curious to see how they are."

Aru will kick off his season in February with the Challenge Mallorca but hasn't planned any races in between his debut and the Giro yet.