Pastore joined Roma from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2018 to much fanfare but hardly played in his first season due to a lack of form and fitness.

However, the midfielder has gone from strength-to-strength in his second campaign so what's changed?

"During that period [the summer] I spoke a lot with the coach and his staff," he told the club's official website.

"I was able to get up speech physically by playing in all the friendlies, although in one week we decided to stop playing together, it wasn't an injury, but after double sessions every day, and knowing my body well, I asked for a break".

The 30-year-old was booed by some Giallorossi fans, who saw him as the epitome of the haphazard spending by former sporting director Monchi.