Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has clarified that the Italian side are not interested in selling their star midfielder Kevin Strootman, despite reported interest from Manchester United in signing him this January, as reported by Goal.com.
Strootman has been consistently linked with a move to Old Trafford since Louis van Gaal was appointed to the role of manager by the club. The midfielder was regarded as a lynchpin of the Dutch manager’s Netherlands side during qualification, and a significant injury suffered by him saw the new Man Utd boss alter his tactical plans entirely going into the World Cup. The Netherlands ultimately finished third.
There had been a belief that Man Utd were willing to wait for Strootman to recover from his serious knee injury and then make a move for him in January, but Sabatini now says that the Italian side have no interest in allowing Strootman to leave during the winter window.
He said: “He is an extraordinary player, and these rumours have been based on the desires of other clubs.
“We want to keep him, he is our point of strength. We hope to see him back on the pitch with all his powers. He played an exemplary role last season.
“For now we enjoy him even while he is injured. We are not thinking in any way of selling him, we hope to have him back. We must have patience and wait, he is a decisive player.”
