Jack Rodwell’s surprise move to Serie A is off according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio after the midfielder failed to impress AS Roma’s coaching staff.
In a twist that will come as no shock to Sunderland fans, the Italian giants have decided against a move for the midfielder, who is a free agent following his release by Rovers at the end of last season, after having a good look at him in training.
It is another blow to the career of the twenty-eight-year-old who was considered a star in the making when he burst into the Everton first-team as a teenager in 2007. After five years in the Toffees senior side, he made a big-money move to Manchester City, but despite England recognition, it was at City that injuries started to take a toll on his progress.
After two years in Manchester, Sunderland paid £10 million for him, signing him on a five-year deal, but he infamously flopped, sitting out his lucrative contract, despite making less than forty-five league starts in three and a half injury-plagued years.
His deal at the Stadium of Light was eventually terminated in 2018, and he signed for Blackburn. He seemed to be making progress at Ewood Park, making twenty-one Championship outings for Rovers last term. Rodwell was reportedly put on a rigorous mental and physical conditioning regime and impressed boss Tony Mowbray enough to be offered a new deal, but Rodwell failed to reach an agreement with the club and left.
Our View
The mental and physical toll that injuries can have on a players career can often be overlooked by supporters, especially when the player in question is earning big money.
At one stage at Blackburn, Rodwell was reportedly on a course of fifty injections to try and ease his fear of injury and get him performing on the pitch.
However, his conduct at Sunderland was not great, and he will get little sympathy from Sunderland fans, who watched him collect his vast wages while the club spiralled into League One under intense financial pressure.
Supporters of Sunderland will not be surprised he’s failed to impress in Italy, and with time running out, you wonder whether we will ever again see Rodwell in action at a decent standard of football.
