Not everything goes according to plan, and El Shaarawy might be the first one to agree to that. After all, the 28-year-old winger returned to Roma in order to snatch a call-up for the Euros under Roberto Mancini. Unfortunately, the player got sidelined with an injury that kept him out until the last few weeks of Roma’s campaign. Although his goal against Spezia proved decisive in helping the team qualify for the conference league, El Shaarawy’s performances for the most part have been sub-par since his arrival in late January: only 1 goal and 1 assist in 10 Serie A appearances.
According to Il Tempo, El Shaarawy decided to show up two weeks in advance at Roma’s training facility. Indeed, yesterday morning he was seen training individually at Trigoria. The player is set on working on his condition in order to be at his best once pre-season kicks off. His main objective right now is convincing Roberto Mancini for an eventual call-up for next year’s world cup. First, however, he must convince Mourinho to give him a starting spot. The player considers the opportunity of working with the Special One throughout the entire pre-season a once-in-a-lifetime chance at revitalizing his career after spending two seasons in China.
With Roma currently looking to sort out their attack with the imminent return of the likes of Kluivert and Ünder, El Shaarawy is determined to prove his doubters wrong and return to his old ways.
