1 week Ago By Dale O'Donnell
Giuseppe Rossi highlighted two Manchester United players when reflecting on his three-year stint at the club before signing for Villarreal.The former Manchester United forward arrived at the club and made the transition from playing in the youth ranks at Parma in Italy.It didn’t take Giuseppe Rossi long to make an impression after he won the Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year and the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year during his first two seasons at the club.
In November 2004, the former Italy international made his professional debut against Crystal Palace in the League Cup. Rossi had to try to adjust to a game with more intensity than he was used to, but it would stand to him later in his career when he signed for Newcastle.Prior to his Old Trafford exit, Rossi made 14 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team, scoring on four occasions.
GamesGoalsAssists1411Giuseppe Rossi record at Manchester UnitedThere is no denying that Rossi was a bit of a journeyman during his career, having played for Villarreal, Fiorentina, Levante, Celta Vigo, Genoa, Real Salt Lake and SPAL before hanging up his boots in 2023.Rossi enjoyed his best form in Spain, scoring 32 goals in all competitions in the 2010/11 season.Photo by Paul Mcfegan/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty ImagesGiuseppe Rossi was scared of Nemanja VidicAlthough it didn’t go to plan for Rossi at United, playing with the best players in the world – at that time – stood him in good stead for the future.
Moving to the biggest club in the world at 17 is not an easy task, especially when it’s a completely different environment, which means leaving your comfort zone. Rossi is not the first player to struggle with that and he won’t be the last.Rossi was quizzed about his time in England during an interview with Calciomercato and he named Nemanja Vidic as the most difficult defender to get past in training.
“Vidic, [he was] an animal: I was afraid to go up against him because he would kick you,” Rossi said.“He would break you, so I had to find a strategy to get past him. I think he was one of the best centre-backs of the last twenty years.
”Nemanja Vidić in the 2008 final 🎥#UCL pic.twitter.com/GRVw6x3N6j— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 10, 2024 Vidic was a force to be reckoned with and we haven’t had a defender like him since he left Old Trafford in 2014.
Rossi names best Manchester United teammateFor players during those years, it wasn’t easy to pick their best teammate from United because competition was fierce, in a side that regularly competed for the biggest honours.Rossi shared a dressing room with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.“I felt small in there, and at 17 it’s right that way.
It was nice to be part of that group being able to take inspiration from so many champions who taught me how to behave both on and off the pitch.“We often played two-touch football in the dressing room: I always won. I beat everyone, from Ronaldo to Giggs.
“In fact, almost everyone: the only one I couldn’t beat was Paul Scholes. Many players stopped playing after a while, perhaps they were ashamed of losing to a kid.”However, when it comes to Rossi’s best teammate from his time at United, there’s one player he viewed as a prime example.
“I have always had great admiration for Van Nistelrooy, for me he was an example. He had the ability to free himself from the marketing and shoot at goal with crazy speed.”Ruud van Nistelrooy made 219 appearances for United, scoring 150 goals, before he left the club under a grey cloud for Real Madrid.
The Dutch legend would later return as a coach to work under Erik ten Hag before taking over as interim boss for a short period..
