Giuseppe Rossi will never forget his time at Manchester United, citing how Sir Alex Ferguson treated him like his son.
The 38-year-old transferred from Parma to United in his youth before signing his first professional contract at Old Trafford in 2004. It didn't take the forward long to impress Ferguson, who quickly compared his capabilities to those of Red Devils legend Paul Scholes.
Speaking about the player after he broke into the first team at United, Ferguson said: "If you ask me who was the last striker with Rossi's potential to come through the ranks here, then I would definitely say Scholesy. They are different types of players but similar in ability.
READ MORE: Man United loanee Antony makes feelings clear with Real Betis message after win vs Real Madrid
READ MORE: 'We're really excited about him' - Manchester United have new candidate for first-team debut
"We have got great hopes for Rossi. He has shown, in his training performances in particular, a fantastic ability." Scholes will go down in the annals of history as one of Manchester United's most decorated players, with eleven Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and two Champions Leagues to his name.
Initially playing as a second striker before dropping back into midfield, the now 50-year-old found the back of the net 155 times in 716 appearances for United over the best part of two decades. Rossi enjoyed a prolific spell with the reserves before making his first-team debut in November 2004, entering the fray as an 84th-minute substitute for David Bellion against Crystal Palace in the League Cup.
His Premier League debut for United came almost a year later when he came on as a 78th-minute substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy before scoring nine minutes later in a 3-1 win over Sunderland away from home. And despite being surrounded by a wealth of talent during his days at the Theatre of Dreams, including the likes of Scholes, Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, to name but a few, Rossi explained that Ferguson treated everyone the same.
He told Corriere dello Sport: "He [Ferguson] treated me like a son. He did that with everyone," adding: "I expected perhaps a kind of divinity even in his attitudes to others. Instead, he was an easy-going person. He protected every player and treated everyone the same."
Despite a promising start to his Premier League career, Rossi didn't stick around in the northwest of England for long. He was loaned out to Newcastle United at the start of the 2006/07 season to develop more as a player, scoring one goal in 13 games for the Magpies.
The Italian was then relocated to Parma for the second half of the season, thriving with nine goals and five assists from 20 games in total. However, Rossi was unable to find his footing when he returned to Manchester at the end of the campaign and ended up being sold on to Villarreal for an undisclosed fee.
After six years under the Spanish sun, Rossi returned to Italy to play for Fiorentina in 2013 before moving on to Genoa, Real Salt Lake, and SPAL and ultimately retiring in July 2023.
