Becoming a success at Manchester United relies on luck and opportunity, in addition to supreme talent.
One player who Manchester United fans had high hopes for in the mid-2000s was an Italian wonderkid signed from Parma.
After tearing it up in the Manchester United Reserves team, Giuseppe Rossi threatened to break into the first team squad, and made his debut in 2004.
Unfortunately his rise to prominence came just as Manchester United were building a behemoth of a team, that went on to achieve Champions League glory in 2008.
Rossi was left behind, much to his own frustration. He has been speaking about the moment his career at the club came to an end.
What do you remember about Giuseppe Rossi when he was breaking through?
Do you think United made a mistake not being more patient with Rossi?
Giuseppe Rossi quote graphic
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Giuseppe Rossi on his Manchester United exit
Giuseppe Rossi’s fledgling career stuttered when he had an unsuccessful loan in the Premier League with Newcastle.
A return to Parma on loan in 2007 was far more productive, and he felt he had done enough to earn a chance at Manchester United.
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The trouble was that by time he returned for pre-season at United in 2007, he was competing with Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Nani, Louis Saha and Ryan Giggs for the attacking slots.
Speaking to Ben Foster’s Fozcast, Rossi blames Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant Carlos Queiroz for shutting the door on him.
Rossi explained: “I was 19, returning from a loan spell at Parma, and I’d scored nine goals in 18 games. I was doing well in pre-season. I went to Queiroz and told him my intention was to stay at Manchester United. And get more playing time.”
“He took me aside and said, ‘You won’t get any more minutes, so I think you’ll have to look for another team.'”
Expressing his frustration, Rossi explained: “I was very confused. I had spoken to Sir Alex and knew he wanted to keep me. So Queiroz had a certain amount of decision-making power… and unfortunately, I was the victim. He didn’t see me,”
“And I needed to play to showcase my talent. That’s when I decided to move to Spain.”
Villarreal's Italian forward Giuseppe Rossi
Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images
Rossi proved his quality, injuries denied true greatness
Giuseppe Rossi signed with Villarreal, where he followed Diego Forlan by becoming an elite forward for the La Liga challengers.
Rossi scored 82 goals for the La Liga side, with 32 coming in the 2010/11 season. It was clear that Manchester United had given away an absolute gem of a player.
By this time United had lost Ronaldo and Tevez, with Rossi long gone, sold for just £6.5 million in 2007.
Injuries wrecked Rossi’s career in the end, preventing him from becoming the true world beater that he looked like he might become.
Rossi suffered three torn ACLs, one of which stopped him appearing for Italy at Euro 2012. Two were suffered at Villarreal and another with Fiorentina.
Giuseppe Rossi would have dominated for United in 2025
Sir Alex Ferguson had an incredibly strong team in 2007, and there was no way in for Giuseppe Rossi. His slight frame may also not have helped, at a time where Ferguson’s team flourished around the athleticism and power of Nemanja Vidic at one end, and Cristiano Ronaldo at the other.
A bigger concern for Rossi was that he was not an ideal tactical fit for Ferguson’s 4-3-3 system at the time.
We would even argue that Rossi broke through at United 20 years too soon.
Rossi’s style of play would have made him a perfect tactical fit for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United in 2025.
While breaking through, Rossi was compared to Alessandro del Piero for his ability to drop deep and play as a secondary striker. It was a beautiful compliment, and one he justified.
He was even lined up to replace the Italian, telling IlBianconero: “I was supposed to replace Del Piero at Juventus. I was in the car with my uncle, he was driving and I was talking on the phone with Marotta and Conte.
“They offered almost 30 million euros but Villarreal had just returned to the Champions League and they didn’t feel like selling me because they had already sold Santi Cazorla too.”
Rossi was a quick, left-footed technician who would have been ideal for Amorim’s ‘left-10’ role in the modern game.
His ability to create, and score goals while dropping deep would have allowed him to fit in seamlessly, in a way he was never allowed to at United during his time there.
It is an interesting ‘what if’, regarding how the Italian would have fared if he broke through today instead of 20 years earlier, and endured a lot more luck with injuries.
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