Ex-Roma man Javier Pastore: “I was sure De Rossi would become a coach.”

Former Roma player Javier Pastore reflected on his time in Italy and discussed Daniele De Rossi’s recent dismissal from the club.

In an interview with Flashscore, Pastore recalled the time he decided to join Roma in 2018 from PSG.

“As soon as I heard about the possibility of returning to Italy I was very happy. Roma is one of the greatest teams in Italy, and there was a great desire to do well.”

“The first year I couldn’t find the balance with the coach at the time who made me play more in as a central midfielder and forced me to defend too much.”

“Then Paulo Fonseca arrived and everything changed for the better for me from a tactical point of view, even if then the hip injury stopped me, which kept me out for a year and a half. All this in a team that had placed so many expectations on me, a shame.”

“De Rossi? I was sure he would become a coach, because he was already one on the pitch with me.”

“He is a person who lives for football and wants to know many aspects of it. And I also knew he would go to play in Argentina because of all the questions he asked me about our football, he knew all the teams and all the players in the Argentine league, it was incredible.”

“I am sure that in the future he will do very well, because he is a person who knows a lot about football and knows how to combine the ancient and modern concepts of this sport. And he is a person who knows how to manage the group, everyone has spoken very highly of him.”