Strootman: Now I feel like one of the squad again

Luciano Spalletti’s squad, currently training at Harvard University in Boston, face the Premier League side in St. Louis on 1 August, before flying to Canada to face the Impact two days later.

In an interview on American radio station SiriusXM FC, Strootman was asked about his personal feelings about pre-season – the Dutchman revealing that both personally and as group he feels this part of the year is important.

For the 26-year-old it is his first full pre-season in three seasons, following a long struggle with knee injuries.

“Maybe for other players it is different, but for me I am grateful, because after missing it for three seasons for me it is really important to get ready for the competition,” Strootman said.

“Especially for us [this season], because in three weeks we have what I think are the most important games of the year, which are the qualification games for the Champions League. So the games we play, against Liverpool and Montreal, are so important for us because we show how we can play. They are strong opponents.

“For us [pre-season] is really important. Of course in the beginning you have to get in 100 per cent condition and physically you have to be strong, but at the end of the pre-season the friendly games are so important to be ready for the competition and the Champions League qualification games.”

Given his recent injury record, Strootman was asked about his personal fitness level, with the season three weeks away.

He noted: “I am so happy to be back with the team, I feel good. I want to get ready like all the other players, and now I feel like one of the 23 players of the team - and not just separate and playing alone.”

Asked about the particular challenges or advantages of an overseas pre-season tour, the player insisted that the squad benefits from travelling together for a longer period.

“As a team you become closer together, you get to know each other, you stay with each other for 10 days or two weeks - so it is really nice,” he said. “We are now in Boston, we like it here, the people are very friendly, the owner and some of the directors live here so we know the place and for us it is good and fun to come back here in Boston and in America.

“And if you don’t travel every few days then it is perfect because you can train properly for a full period.”

Asked about the club’s own expectations for the forthcoming season, especially given the summer transfer activity of reigning Serie A champions Juventus, Strootman insisted that the group are not concerned about how other teams are preparing.

“We know Juventus have a great team,” he said. “They also bought one of our best players, so for us it is a big loss but we need to focus on ourselves. We know Juventus have a great team, they have bought great players, the last five years they have won the title, but we have to do our best and a team like Roma always has to play for the title.

“If that is realistic [this season], we will have to see during the competition - but we have to focus on our games. We have to be ready – during the season you have to make your goals for the season but of course we want to be top of the table.

“We know it will be difficult with teams like Juve, Napoli, Inter. But we have to be ready before the start of the competition and also the Champions League.”