Speaking about the Overlap, De Rossi also recalled meeting former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson before they signed Michael Carrick from Tottenham.
“I followed football in England when I was younger,” De Rossi said.
“I followed Manchester United a bit more, I was fascinated by you (Roy Keane) and your legacy. I liked it a lot.
“I was about to come to England, it was my first option if I left Rome.
'I couldn't go. For me it was Manchester United, I had a number of opportunities to go to other teams, but Manchester United was the one I recognized as the best club in England.”
He also recalled: “It was 2006, when I was at the airport during the World Cup and Marcello Lippi called me.
“I went there, I was scared of him, and he opened the door, took me into a little room and there was Sir Alex Ferguson in this room.
“He flew from one city to another to watch the World Cup.
“Lippi said: 'You have to go there'. I was shy, because of him, and also because of Lippi, he was scary.
“It was a three-minute moment, nothing serious, but I would have liked to say, 'Yes, I want to come' because Manchester United was a big thing when I was younger.”
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