Davide Petrucci On Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson And Facing Wesley Sneijder | OneFootball

You started your career at Roma before moving to Manchester United. How did it feel when United came in for you? Especially as they had just won the Champions League in 2008 when you joined the club.

“It was a crazy moment for me but also an amazing feeling.

“I am from Rome, and I was playing for Roma was already a dream come true for me but when a club like Manchester United came in especially at that time as they were the best team in the world then, it was a step up for me and I couldn’t say no.

“I was really happy and proud to be able to make the move to England at that time.”

When you were going through the process of signing for United, did Sir Alex Ferguson speak to you and your family?

“Yes, he met us and was very nice. He made us feel welcome and part of the club right away.

“He was great at talking through what he wanted me to achieve as well as setting out his standard that you need to work incredibly hard to have an opportunity at a club like Manchester United.

“Sir Alex was an unbelievable person for me with how he treated me. He is the most successful manager of all time, so it was a proud moment for me to work with him.”

You were a big player in the academy set up at Manchester United and named in their 25-man Premier League squad in 2014, how do you reflect on your time at Manchester United as a whole?

“I was very happy at the club and when I arrived, I started really well within the academy and made it to the reserves in a quick timeframe and I was playing a lot.

“Unfortunately, I started to pick some injuries because looking back, maybe, my body was not ready yet to play so many games at a young age. I was still developing, and I think this is why I started to pick some injuries and I lost a lot of time with recovery and rehab.

“Despite some setbacks, I still had the opportunity to train and play with the first team when we went on pre-season to South Africa and China.

“That was a special moment for me but after being at the club for six years without ever establishing myself in the first team, I knew that my time was over.

“It was not easy to make it as a first-team player at Manchester United particularly in that era with players like Ronaldo, Rooney, Scholes, Giggs and Carrick but it was still an amazing experience to be there and to have learned from some of the best players in world football.”

In terms of the reserve team that you played in, you played alongside Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison in the reserves and many others who went on to have good careers like yourself. What was it like playing alongside the likes of Pogba and Ravel?

“It was fantastic. We were lucky enough as young players to be in this special club. We were really strong within our age groups; we had a really good team and that’s why we won all of the major trophies at youth level.

“Most of us have stayed in touch which shows how special the group was on and off the pitch.

“Paul and Ravel were great talents, both of them.

“Paul Pogba had the full package as a footballer. He was a great player but, more importantly, he was a great person. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he was very ambitious. What he achieved in his career at Juventus and by winning the World Cup with France as well as his second spell at United shows his quality.

“Ravel was also a great talent but, in that moment, I do not think that he was mentally ready to be the player that he wanted to be.

“He was a little crazy. Crazy in a good way as he was a caring guy, but he lost his way while he was finding himself as a person. However, no one should ever doubt his natural talent because he was one of the best that I have ever seen.”

While at United, you had loan spells at Peterborough and Charlton in England and also Royal Antwerp in Belgium. In terms of the English loans, how do you reflect on your loan spells with Peterborough and Charlton?

“Both of those were very short loans and I took those opportunities as I trusted the club with my development without knowing exactly what was going to happen when I left on loan.

“I learned a lot during these experiences, and I scored my first professional goal against Leicester while I was at Peterborough which was a big moment in my career. A lot of that team went on to win the Premier League including Kasper Schmeichel who was in goal, so it was a big moment for me to play well and score in that game.”

After leaving Manchester United, you join Cluj in Romanian football. While you are there, you won the Romanian Cup. What was your experience of playing in Romania like?

“After United, I felt that my time in England was over, and I had the feeling that I wanted to try something else.

“At a young age, I won everything with United at reserve level and I wanted to go somewhere where I would have the opportunity to continue winning.

“Cluj in those years were playing in Europe, sometimes in the Champions League and sometimes in the Europa League.

“After leaving such a big club, it was a little bit of a step back because the level of football in England is much higher but, at the end of the day, I found myself a nice team and I was happy there.

“We won the Cup, and I scored in the penalty shootout in that final. To win major silverware in front of 40,000 people is something that will stay with me forever.”

“Cluj was great but my time in Turkey was my best time in football because they live and breathe football in Turkey in such a special way.

“The atmospheres are some of the best in world football and I enjoyed testing myself against massive clubs such as Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce.

“These are very big games and I playing in their stadiums was such a test because you felt like the fans were on top of the pitch.

“I loved my tests in Turkey, it is such a special place to experience football.”

In terms of your international career, you played at youth level for Italy from under 16 to under 19 level. What was it like to represent your country at such a young age?

“Representing my country was the greatest honour, even at youth level

“The first time I played in the national team was against France and I will never forget the first time that I heard the national team anthem playing inside the stadium.

“It was a special moment and an emotional one for me and my family.”

Finally, Davide, who would you say were the toughest players you played against as a midfielder?

“I played against Wesley Sneijder while he was at Galatasaray, and he was an amazing player who I admired from his time at Inter Milan.

“I also had the opportunity to play against Samuel Eto’o and Robin Van Persie but I have to single out Wesley Sneijder as a midfielder because he was something else. He could control the tempo of the game and was capable of playing with both feet and making the game look easy.”