Man Utd set to face former academy goalkeeper who launched rap career after leaving Old Trafford

A former Manchester United academy graduate will return to Old Trafford on Tuesday night, more than a decade after playing alongside the likes of Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj.

Pierluigi Gollini, who spent two years at United between 2012 and 2014, is expected to start for Roma when they come up against Michael Carrick's side in the Champions League.

The 31-year-old is currently Roma's second-choice goalkeeper, but with Mile Svilar still recovering from a broken finger, Gian Piero Gasperini will likely hand Gollini the gloves for Tuesday's game.

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It will be a memorable evening for the Italian shot-stopper, who spent two years at United between 2012 and 2014 after joining the youth ranks from Fiorentina as a 17-year-old.

He played under Paul McGuinness at under-18 level before helping Warren Joyce’s side lift the under-21 Premier League title alongside Lingard, Januzaj and Tom Lawrence.

Pierluigi Gollini turned down contract offer from Manchester United

Gollini was offered a new deal but decided against taking up the offer. He joined Italian side Hellas Verona in the summer of 2014.

A few years later, Gollini explained his reasons behind leaving United. "I needed to grow and aim to become a first-choice goalkeeper one day," he told Vavel.

"In Manchester, they offered me another contract, but I thought it was better to return to Italy after three years, to a major club like Verona. I also think the Italian school of goalkeeping is superior."

The goalkeeper spent two years at Verona before returning to England with Aston Villa in 2016. He later joined Atalanta on loan for the 2017-18 season before making the move permanent.

Gollini went on to make over 100 appearances for Atalanta under Gian Piero Gasperini, the manager he currently works under at Roma, and even picked up an Italy cap in 2019.

Gollini made over 100 appearances for Atalanta. Image credit: Getty

He also enjoyed loan spells at Tottenham, Fiorentina, Napoli and Genoa between 2021 and 2015 before joining the ranks at the Stadio Olimpico.

“I obviously haven’t played much in recent years, but I see myself in training, my team-mates see me, so obviously football is a world that moves super fast,” Gollini said after last week's game against Cagliari.

“Maybe six months [ago] you don’t play much, you don’t do anything and it seems like you’re dead, right? You’re finished."

He added: “But when you work every day, you know what you’re doing and in any case, even if I haven’t played, I’ve always been in a team, in a high-level environment, with great players, so I’ve always known my value.”

Off the pitch, Pierluigi Gollini has become somewhat of a music sensation, performing under the stage name Gollorius.

Back in 2018, he released a rap single titled Rapper coi guanti (Rapper with Gloves) and donated all of the proceeds to help renovate a football pitch near his hometown.

"I did this because my personal story is the same as loads of children who want to play football, who dream of making it from the streets," he told the Champions Journal.