Roma: Is Moving on from Kevin Strootman a Possibility?

Roma's Dutch central midfielder Kevin Strootman, 25, spends his free time working his way back to full fitness and telling the public that his injuries are not as bad as reported.

Sure, it is a disconsolate thought, but you have to consider the plausible notion that Strootman's injuries are a trend instead of a blip.

Wrong Direction

"

.@Kevin_strootman at Sparta Rotterdam #asroma pic.twitter.com/nt1XT2S8ya

— asroma.co.uk (@asroma_uk) September 12, 2014"

Unlike Winston Bogarde (1994), John Nieuwenburg (1999) and Nourdin Boukhari (2002), Strootman did not leave Sparta Rotterdam for Ajax.

Nor did Strootman plunge overseas presumably for financial incentives, a la Marvin Emnes, valued by Middlesbrough as a €4.4/£3.2 million 20-year-old in 2008.

Joining PSV Eindhoven en route from Utrecht in 2011, Strootman has developed exponentially since his Sparta Rotterdam days. 

A central midfielder with the physical traits of a centre-back (6'1", 172 lbs), the ruggedness of a No. 6 and the creativity of a No. 10, Strootman was destined to sign for a major club. 

Leading the Eredivisie in total tackles from 2011-13 (265) and accumulating the highest tackles-per-game average during the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League (7.7), Strootman was bam bam in winning back the ball.

Strootman's brute physicality, combined with finesse technique, convinced Roma to invest €20/£14.5 million in him about a year and seven months ago. 

Pushing his body to the limits like Cam Neely, Strootman is taking years off his athletic career.

Before entering corporate life as the president of National Hockey League franchise the Boston Bruins and serving as a Roma board member, Neely walked away from his first true love.

• September 6, 1996, per Kevin Paul Dupont at The Boston Globe:

"

Cam Neely's career came to an expected and somber close yesterday, his hip too sore, his body too torn and tattered for the 31-year-old Bruin to consider even one more shift as a human pile driver.

"Dr. [Bert] Zarins and the many fine medical specialists ... have concluded that my right hip injury," said Neely, his voice a painful jumble of emotion, "is a severe disability that will prevent me from returning to professional hockey."

"Cam's dealt with the death of his parents," said former Bruin Derek Sanderson, among those who attended Neely's farewell. "And this is like that for Cam, in some measure. His career is dead and now he has to move on—he's not a hockey player anymore."

"

Durability-wise, Neely was never going to be Gordie Howe. 

Strootman is not on track to be as evergreen as Francesco Totti or Roger Milla.

Tempting Fate

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

What was originally a witty remark from then-PSV Eindhoven manager Dick Advocaat is now seemingly irreversible. 

"[If] a really big club comes in [for Strootman]," Advocaat said, per Algemeen Dagblad (h/t Sport Witness). "Perhaps, I [will] say that Kevin has an injury."

• August 18, 2013, per Football Italia: "Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman breathes a sigh of relief, as his sprained ankle does not include ligament damage."
• March 10, 2014, per UEFA.com: "Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said Kevin Strootman's 'dream has been shattered' after confirming the AS Roma midfielder would miss the FIFA World Cup with ... torn cruciate ligaments in his left knee."

• January 29, 2015, per Ben Gladwell at ESPN FC: "Roma's Kevin Strootman to undergo surgery on new knee problem."

Transfer Value

Roma president James Pallotta is putting a positive spin.

"I think the papers have finally given up [linking] Strootman [away from us]," Pallotta said, per Colin O'Brien at Bleacher Report. "By the way, I wasn't going to sell him anyway."

The transfer rumours will always be there given that Strootman's former manager, Louis van Gaal, is coaching Manchester United.

Though, the difference is Pallotta won't be able to offload Strootman for a king's ransom if his body continues to break down like ex-Boston Celtics basketballer Rajon Rondo, who was essentially given away to the Dallas Mavericks.

"What I'm surprised by [is] nobody made a stupid offer for [Rondo]," Bill Simmons said, per ESPN's The Grantland Basketball Hour. "He's just sitting on eBay, like some poster."

When Strootman returned from his first knee injury, his tackles per 90 minutes decreased from 3.7 to 3.4, and his interceptions per 90 minutes dropped from 1.2 to 0.8.

Yes, it is a small sample size (25 games to six games, 80.2 minutes per game to 53.2 minutes per game), but it is a red flag.

You can only assume Strootman's defensive productivity will continue to drop after his second knee injury.

Former Roma doctor Mario Brozzi speculating that Strootman might be chronically injured weakens the Dutchman's dwindling transfer stock.

"My impression is that the surgery on Strootman's ligament did not go perfectly," Brozzi said, per Gold TV's La Partita Perfetta (h/t The Guardian). "The cartilaginous damage is determined by the extensive deficit. Now, if this is the situation, I see no way out."

If you are in Strootman's camp, you would probably ask the question: "Did Brozzi perform the surgery?"

The answer is no, per Strootman's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Saying "please don't believe people who have never seen me in their lives" could be Strootman making a reference to Brozzi.

Arriving at Roma in 2013, Strootman would not have worked with Brozzi, who was employed by the Giallorossi from 1993-2009, per his LinkedIn account.

Having received over 35,892 Facebook/Instagram likes, 1,172 retweets and 974 favourites, Strootman is winning on the Internet.

But like Scott Thomson, the protagonist in the HigtonBros short film What's on your mind?, social media is sometimes superficial with one objective—providing a veneer over the ugly truth that is too painful for you to accept.

+allanjiang.

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.