Ex-Roma player Dean Huijsen: “De Rossi was like a second father to me.” | OneFootball

Former Roma defender Dean Huijsen looked back on his brief but formative loan spell in the Italian capital.

In an interview with Relevo, the Spaniard recounted his rapid ascent from Juve’s youth team, to Roma and finally to being a regular starter in the Premier League.

“I went to Juventus at 16 and went through the youth system until I reached the first team,” he said.

“Last season I went on loan to Roma, where I played for half a year until they bought me in England.”

“The reason I went to Italy was to improve defensively, I wanted to be more complete. In Spain I improved my ball control and in England the intensity of the game. The high pace and the one-on-one game made me learn a lot..”

“I have had good coaches, Iraola had a big impact on me. Before him I was with Mourinho, De Rossi, Allegri…. I can only be grateful to them because they gave me opportunities. I learned something from all of them.”

“Mourinho called me to convince me to join Roma and it was an experience. I learned a lot on a defensive level even though I spent little time with him. I would have liked to spend more time with him.”

“I also got along very well with De Rossi, who was like a second father to me. In Italy the defensive aspect is fundamental, he also helped me off the pitch, he worried about how I was and things like that.”