Former Milan and Roma man Urby Emanuelson’s advice for young footballers is “don’t go to Italy”.
The Dutch international, who can play on the wing or at full-back, also had spells with Verona and Atalanta, but he was not impressed by his time in Serie A.
“Football in Italy is a hypocritical environment,” Emanuelson told Voetbal International.
“It’s hard to have friends and to meet people you can trust. Not to mention the labels: Frank de Boer was unfit for Italian football hours after he got there.
Former Milan and Roma man Urby Emanuelson’s advice for young footballers is “don’t go to Italy”.
The Dutch international, who can play on the wing or at full-back, also had spells with Verona and Atalanta, but he was not impressed by his time in Serie A.
“Football in Italy is a hypocritical environment,” Emanuelson told Voetbal International.
“It’s hard to have friends and to meet people you can trust. Not to mention the labels: Frank de Boer was unfit for Italian football hours after he got there.
“To all youngsters I’d give the same advice: don’t go and play in Italy. I’m talking about Italy in football terms, not the country.
“Football is politics there, it’s not always the best players who play. Other factors count, for example being in with the right crowd in terms of friends and acquaintances.
“Roma? It was a bad choice. In the week I arrived, I arrived as one of six. I found myself in the stands, with the team playing like dogs, but it didn’t change anything.
“[Rudi] Garcia told me to be patient, but he always chose someone else…”