Gasperini confirms Ferguson blow, denies Totti rumours: ‘Never’
Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has confirmed that Evan Ferguson’s season is likely over, that Artem Dovbyk is unlikely to feature until May and has also denied rumours of any meetings with Giallorossi legend Francesco Totti.
The Roma head coach sat down for his pre-match press conference on Saturday ahead of tomorrow’s Serie A match against Genoa, who are under the guidance of former Giallorossi captain and manager Daniele De Rossi.
News broke on Saturday morning that Brighton loanee Ferguson is expected to undergo surgery on an ankle issue that has kept him out of action for the last few weeks, and that the procedure is likely to spell the end of his season.
The 21-year-old is unlikely to feature for Roma again, as the Giallorossi are extremely unlikely to activate the €40m option to buy clause in their deal with Brighton.
“If we include Dovbyk and Ferguson, we’re in a really difficult situation,” Gasperini told the press on Saturday.
“Dovbyk’s been out for many months. The surgery’s been done, if all goes well, he could return at the end of April, maybe the beginning of May. We continue to consider him among the absentees.
“The same goes for Ferguson at this point, because this is probably where his season ends to have surgery on his ankle, so he won’t have time to recover, even at the end of the season. So they’re now crossed off the list.
“But then there is Malen, there is Vaz, there is Venturino, there are others. We’ve got El Shaarawy and Pellegrini back, we have the numbers to continue playing.”
It was suggested to Gasperini that some of Roma’s medical diagnoses have not been particularly accurate this season.
He replied: “No, but it would be presumptuous of me to talk about medicine. It’s not a topic on which we can discuss on the level with the doctors and professionals. It’s true that they’ve had to deal with lots of cases though, isn’t it.
“Starting with Ferguson, who arrived a year after an operation with great initial difficulties in getting back to his best with the few games he played last year. Then he had an excellent period around December, then there was this relapse, but this was a different case.
“Then there’s been the Angelino matter, there was Bailey, there was Dovbyk, and now Dybala. Undoubtedly this is quite rare in football because they aren’t even muscular injuries, they’re all quite specific, each one different from the other.
“It’s definitely had an effect having to give up these players for such a long time. However, despite that, we’ve come this far, we have to continue and move forwards with our best intentions.”
Gasperini denies Totti rumours: ‘Never met with him’
Gasperini has denied any knowledge of any meetings or talks with Roma legend Totti, who has been rumoured to be eyeing a return to the club in some sort of backroom role.
“I’m not in a position to talk about these situations,” said Gasperini. “I’ve been in Rome for eight or nine months. I’ve never met with Totti, it’s not a topic that I’ve brought up. It came out a month ago, not from me.”
There have been reports that Roma have discussed potential roles and further details with Totti, but Gasperini denies any knowledge of this.
Gasperini on Genoa vs Roma
Gasperini went on to give his thoughts about the upcoming clash with Genoa in Serie A and his team’s successes so far this season.
“I continue to look ahead, I continue to look to the match against Genoa. We’ll have Genoa, then Bologna, Como, Bologna again, and then before the break we have Lecce. It’s two good weeks, but not decisive. The decisive things will happen in May. The goal for now is to stay in the mix.
“Tomorrow we play in Genoa. I know well what the stadium is like when it’s full. A team that is strong at home, dragged and pushed on by its supporters. We have to think about the team and our performances.”