Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Roma's Kevin Strootman to undergo surgery on new knee problem

#INSERT type:image caption:Roma will discover whether Strootman has suffered ligament damage when he undergoes surgery. END#

Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman will undergo knee surgery this week as he waits to discover whether he suffered ligament damage during the weekend's Serie A game against Fiorentina.

Strootman was substituted after 34 minutes of the 1-1 draw after taking a knock to the same knee that was operated on last year, with that surgery keeping him sidelined from March until November.

The knee ligaments will be assessed when Strootman returns to his native Netherlands for a procedure to remove an excess of tissue from the joint, and he took to Twitter to say he expected to be "back to my old level" soon.

On Thursday, a statement on Roma's official website said tests carried out earlier this week had revealed the buildup of tissue, adding: "It has been suggested to remove this through an arthroscopy.

"The operation will be performed tomorrow [Friday] in Amsterdam and, at the same time, it will be possible to evaluate the state of the ligaments."

Strootman has made only six Serie A appearances since returning to action but has been linked with a move to Manchester United, with Roma president James Pallotta saying the Old Trafford club would have to pay a "huge" fee to sign him.

United manager Louis van Gaal knows the 24-year-old well from his time as Netherlands coach, and is reportedly keen to sign him once he has made a full recovery from his knee problems.

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