Ex-Man United target: Roma have ‘special tactics’ for Salah
Roma have “special tactics” for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah in the Champions League semi-finals.
Salah left Roma to join Liverpool in the summer, and the new PFA Player of the Year has scored 41 goals in his first season.
The Egyptian is expected to be the key man in Tuesday’s first leg, but Roma midfielder Strootman says the Italians have a specific plan for their former player.
“I’m not surprised at how well he’s doing but just at how easy he scores the goals and how confident he is in front of goal with the ball,” Strootman told the Independent.
“Here he did a great job and did a lot of great assists and goals but he missed a lot of chances especially one-on-one with the goalkeeper. I am surprised by how many goals he has scored so far but not how he plays.
“Here he was a nightmare for opponents and in England he is doing the same.
“He is doing amazing also with the national team, he did a great job, I think he is the king there now and they want to vote him for president and everything. I just hope in the two games against us he loses his confidence.
“We have special tactics [for Salah] but I’m not going the share it! Italian defence, that is what I’m hoping for.”
Strootman reportedly almost made a similar move to Salah, the midfielder having been linked with the Premier League in 2014.
David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were both interested in bringing Strootman to Manchester United, but he himself says no contact was ever made.
“I never talked with anybody. No, no. There was a lot of speculation but to be honest I only spoke with Roma.
“There were some clubs who showed interest but it’s always like that. They always say they are interested but at the end they don’t do anything so it’s nothing.
“I never talked about leaving Rome. They [the media] said some club was really close to signing me and they want me really bad but I’m good here.”