Massara: ‘Dybala surgery will not affect new Roma contract decision’
Roma director Ricky Massara insists Paulo Dybala’s operation ‘will not affect’ the decision to offer him a new contract, while there is squad rotation against Genoa.
It kicks off at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.
This is crunch time of the campaign for the Giallorossi, because while the Europa League Round of 16 tie against Bologna is coming up on Thursday, they also face pressure from Como and Juventus to keep hold of a top four Serie A spot.
Massara on Roma changes and Dybala situation
The major surprise is Lorenzo Venturino getting his first Serie A start against his parent club, as he arrived from Genoa in January on loan with an option to buy.
“Venturino has always had a positive impact when called upon, with enthusiasm and confidence, so we are very pleased with what he has been doing,” Massara told Sky Sport Italia.
There was double bad news this week, as both Paulo Dybala and Evan Ferguson required surgery, with Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso, Artem Dovbyk and suspended Wesley not making the trip either.
“It is true that we have a lot of injuries concentrated in the attack, which is a coincidence that does not help. We’ve got El Shaarawy back, Robinio Vaz is very young and still adapting to a new league after arriving only six weeks ago. There will be time for him, Zaragoza and Venturino to develop over the course of the season.”
Dybala has been ruled out for at least six weeks now with meniscus surgery, so will this influence Roma’s decision on whether or not to offer him a new contract?
“This does not affect the issue, we didn’t talk about Paulo’s contract before the injury and we don’t think it is fair to talk about it now. We just hope he can recover as quickly as possible, this will not affect our rapport with Dybala or the club’s strategy,” assured Massara.
Roma’s medical staff faced criticism for not suggesting an operation earlier, as it seems the meniscus in the knee had been damaged for over a month.
“I don’t wish to get into the medical details, it is always better to try conservative treatment first and focus on the health of the players. That is the priority. At least this resolves the problem and we’ll soon have him fully fit.”
Last week’s 3-3 draw with Juventus felt like a missed opportunity, fumbling a 3-1 lead to concede the equaliser in stoppages and confirming Roma’s poor record in the big games.