The Return Of 'The Controversial' Dzeko To Manchester

Edin Dzeko (Twitter @ed_dzeko)

JAKARTA - Edin Dzeko has been linked with so many different goals and has been involved in so much controversy this season that it is difficult to track down.

In September, he was so close to joining Juventus that he temporarily stopped playing for Roma. In January, a swap deal should be made with Inter Milan for Alexis Sánchez.

Then, there was a dispute with coach Paulo Fonseca which resulted in him being removed from the post of captain of Rome.

But Dzeko has never left the Italian capital, and now he will return to his former hometown in England to lead the Giallorossi against Manchester United in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final on Friday, April 30.

"There have been many ups and downs this season. I have had difficult times personally because of many things, but I don't like looking back. What happened?", said Dzeko.

"We need to look forward. We are in the semifinals, which is not unexpectedly a lot of people. We have to enjoy ourselves, because not every week you can play at Old Trafford".

Dzeko, however, knows what it means to visit United as an opponent. He did so during five seasons with Manchester City before joining Roma in 2015 - and scored six goals in the Manchester derby.

"Since I left Manchester City six years ago, I never came back", Dzeko told UEFA.com. "It will be a special match for me, because it was a derby for me until a few years ago".

Two other Roma players, defender Chris Smalling and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, previously played for United.

Smalling joined Roma on loan in 2019 after nine years with Manchester United. He made a permanent move last year after a strong first season at Roma but has struggled with injuries this season.

Smalling missed the quarter-finals against Ajax. Now, he is expected to take over the defense from Gianluca Mancini who was suspended in the first leg in Manchester.

Smalling and other Roma defenders will have a duty to contain goal-hungry United strikers such as Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford.

As for Mkhitaryan, who like Smalling played for the United team that won the Europa League in 2017, he is also looking to return to his best following an injury.

For Roma fans, this match presents an opportunity for revenge after the 7-1 defeat by United at Old Trafford in the 2006-07 Champions League - a match played by current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

With the match in mind, Giallorossi supporters took advantage of the latest comments from Solskjaer, who reportedly said he "doesn't know Roma very well" and doesn't see them play the ball.

Roma fans responded by posting Solskjaer posters around their city accompanied by the message: "Make him remember us!".