Roma coach De Rossi explains why he dropped Huijsen from Europa League squad

Juventus loaned-out teenager won’t be part of Roma’s Europa League squad after failing to earn a place in Daniele De Rossi’s list.

The 18-year-old joined the Giallorossi on a dry loan in January. Former Roma coach Jose Mourinho rated the young defender highly and even gave him his debut 24 hours following his arrival in the Italian capital.

However, the Special One received the sack shortly following the Dutchman’s arrival. The Portuguese was replaced by club icon De Rossi who introduced drastic changes to the tactical system.

The newly-appointed manager switched the formation from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3, which could limit Huijsen’s chances of earning playing time.

Moreover, De Rossi decided to leave out the Juventus loanee in his European squad.

The Roman native explains his decision, saying that his hand was forced as the rules only permit him to make three changes to his original squad.

De Rossi preferred to introduce other new signings to the squad, namely Tommaso Baldanzi and Angelino.

“I made three changes, which is the maximum we were allowed to make,” explained the 2006 World Cup winner in his post-match press conference ahead of Monday’s meeting against Cagliari via IlBianonero.

“I gave priority to those who can play in different roles. For this reason, I inserted Baldanzi and Angelino, but Huijsen and Kristensen paid for it, as they are two players that I consider very important.

“They will play in the future, but it is a choice that I had to make.”

Juventus sent Huijsen to the Eternal City hoping that earns valuable playing time. But now he’ll only be eligible to play in Serie A fixtures.