Roma coach Daniele De Rossi has confirmed that Rick Karsdorp is not part of his plans and no longer training with the Giallorossi first-team, which means he has been frozen out by two successive coaches at the Stadio Olimpico, following a high-profile spat with Jose Mourinho back in 2022.
Why De Rossi and Mourinho both froze out Karsdorp
The two situations are fairly different, but there are still some similarities. De Rossi’s response was calm and measured, explaining that Karsdorp is not part of his upcoming plans, and that he is no longer training so he can avoid any potential injury ahead of a transfer away from the club.
De Rossi also took full responsibility for the decision to take Karsdorp away from the rest of the first-team, explaining that the club had little involvement in that choice.
“The club has never asked me to freeze someone out. Sometimes, we keep players out because we know they can leave, so we don’t want them to get injured and ruin the deal,” De Rossi said during his pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“As for Rick, it was my decision. I told the club he was not part of the plans. I don’t think something will change. I hope he finds space elsewhere because he’s a good player and deserves it.
“Small technical, tactical and behavioural factors led me to make this decision. I take responsibility for it. The club has agreed, and we’ve made this decision.”
The fact that he hinted at small ‘behavioural factors’ is where the similarities to Mourinho come in.
Mourinho accused Karsdorp of being unprofessional after a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo in Serie A back in November 2022. The situation led to the Dutchman being frozen out and he was told to look for a move away from the club that January.
A move never materialised, though, and Karsdorp remains a Roma player to this day.
That could still change before the end of the summer transfer window, though, as Roma are still hoping to bring in another full-back to compete with Zeki Celik.
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