Manchester City defender Maicon has joined AS Roma on a free transfer. The 31-year signed a two year-deal with the Serie A side.
He was left out of the side’s pre-season tour of Africa in order to complete the deal and to undergo the medical.
Upon signing for the Premier League runners-up last summer, the Brazilian international made only 13 appearances in all competitions – nearly half of them coming from the bench. He was the victim of a recurring knee injury which saw him sidelined for a number of weeks at a time.
Maicon will be hoping this move can put him in contention of a call-up for the Brazil national team, as his last appearance came in July 2011. With the 2014 World Cup approaching at the end of next season, the fullback knows he will need regular playing time and consistent form. He represented his country on 56 occasions, scoring five times.
AS Roma manager Rudi Garcia is said to have long-admired the defender, but has never had the chance to sign him. But after seeing he was surplus to requirements at City, the 49-year old enquired about his services.
Maicon has played in the Serie A before during his six-year spell with Inter Milan. He has also played for Cruzeiro and AS Monaco.
He admitted there were some regrets over how the previous season went with Manchester City, as the Brazilian defender is a player used to getting regular first-team football with every side he‘s been at, and extended spells on the bench and being sidelined with injury has now meant he has a lot of work to do on the training ground in order to get match fit again.
He’s hoping his move to AS Roma will be his last as his advancing age would dictate only a handful of years left of playing at the top level.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
