Ex-Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman officially joins Genoa | OneFootball

The footballing life of former Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman hasn’t gone according to plan following his departure from the Italian capital in the summer of 2018.

The 30 year-old left Roma after five seasons in order to join Marseille and reunite with former Giallorossi manager Rudi Garcia — a deal that cost the French side €25 million plus €3 million in bonuses.

Following Garcia’s departure in May of 2019, though, Strootman saw a dramatic decrease in playing time at the club due to the appointment of former Tottenham Hotspur manager André Villas-Boas.

Since his arrival at Marseille, the Portuguese tactician has primarily utilised Strootman from the bench with the midfielder making only sixteen league starts over the previous eighteen months.

With next summer’s European competition creeping closer, the midfielder was in need of more playing time if he were to have any chance at making Frank de Boer’s Netherlands squad — which has led to him officially joining relegation-threatened Genoa today on a loan deal.

The Ligurian side, who currently sit seventeenth in the Serie A table with 14 points, announced the acquisition of the Dutchman late this afternoon on a straight loan deal from the Ligue 1 outfit.

Strootman is expected to be available for Sunday’s league fixture against Atalanta.