Spalletti acknowledges concerns after Florenzi setback

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has admitted he is concerned about a potential setback to Alessandro Florenzi, after the defender suffered a problem in training this week.

On Tuesday evening the club's medical staff issued an update on Florenzi, revealing he had twisted his left knee while training with the Primavera.

The Italy international was approaching a return to full fitness after undergoing surgery on the same knee at the end of October.

Full examinations will be completed on Friday to discover the full extent of the issue.

“[Florenzi] came to find me yesterday and told me that his knee was giving him trouble again, which was alarming," Spalletti said, at Wednesday's pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Villarreal.

"The doctor said he needed to run some tests because there was a risk that him having twisted his knee could have caused some complications.

"He was in pain yesterday and that was still there this morning, but he made sure to gee us up for the game. We’ll take a couple of days now to take a view on it.

"We hope that he’s fine – I’m more interested in the person and his reaction, rather than as the footballer.

"Do I think he’ll need another operation? At the moment my only thought is for his welfare.”