Zappacosta: I would love to stay at Roma

Davide Zappacosta “would love to stay” at Roma as he nears a return to action following a serious knee injury.

The defender joined the Serie A side on loan from Chelsea in August but had barely featured before rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session.

After a lengthy recovery period, Zappacosta hopes to be involved when the 2019-20 season eventually resumes in Italy, declaring himself to be “90 per cent fit”.

And having played just 12 minutes for the club so far, the full-back is desperate to impress and would welcome the chance to extend his time in Rome.

“On a personal level, I would love to stay in Rome for several reasons,” Zappacosta told Sky Sport Italia.

“The main one is that I want to show the fans, my team-mates and the management who I am and what I can do.

“I have worked a lot in these months, I have trained and I have made sacrifices to be available at the restart of the championship.

“I am doing some sessions completely dedicated to the knee, because it takes time to recover better from this injury. But now I feel 90 per cent fit.”

Zappacosta signed a contract extension with Chelsea through to June 2022 prior to linking up with Roma.

The Italy international moved to Stamford Bridge from Torino in 2017 and helped the Blues win the FA Cup in his debut season.

He followed that up by lifting the Europa League last May, coming on as a late substitute in the 4-1 final win over Arsenal, and in total has made 52 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, scoring on two occasions.

“England and Chelsea have given me a lot,” Zappacosta said. “I had the chance to play with great champions and win two trophies.

“The Premier League is a championship where people never give up.”

Serie A clubs are back in training as the league aims for a June restart following a suspension in proceedings due to the coronavirus pandemic.