Marcello Trotta has come a long way from when, as a teenager, he was signed and then cast out of the Manchester City academy after just three months. Despite this, the striker went on to carve out an impressive career and play top flight football in England and his native Italy.

Trotta's time at City coincided with the arrival of Sheikh Mansour as owner of the Manchester club and, in just a few months, saw the earliest seeds of the global superpower it is today planted. He explained to Tribalfootball.com: "When I was there the new owners came and it could be sensed that their project was ambitious and very serious. They wanted to make City one of the best teams in the world.

“Every year they try to get better in every sector and they have the best coach in the world. They are doing great things and the best aspect of the club is that they are always hungry to get better and to win more and more."

City are going for an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row. How does Trotta see the Premier League concluding?

"It is a spectacular league. For me, it is so far distant [in superiority] from the other leagues. Every weekend you can expect that the so-called weak teams can beat the strongest teams and every weekend they offer a spectacle. Three squads [Arsenal, Liverpool and City] are fighting for the title and three or four other teams are fighting to get into the Champions League, so everything is up for discussion for me until the last minute of the season."

After leaving City, Trotta was quickly snapped up by Fulham, where he made his Premier League debut at 19. At the Cottagers, he had loan spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Watford, Brentford and Barnsley. How does he value his time in England?

“It was an honour for me and a great experience. Fulham got me when I was a little child and helped me to grow, and going on loan at these clubs I developed a lot and I learned a lot. Even when I was there, you could see that Brentford had a great project and that they would achieve great results."

Where does Trotta believe he played his best football?

“In every team I had beautiful moments. In every team there was something different for me and helped me to develop in my career. But, with Brentford, it was my first important contribution. In the first year [on loan] we lost in the play-off final and in the second year we won [promotion to the Championship]."

However, it was at Fulham where he played amongst the stars. He explains: “I had the chance to train and play with lots of important players. For example, at Fulham, I had the chance to play with players like [Dimitar] Berbatov, Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff, [John Arne] Riise and [Philippe] Senderos."

Despite his successful loan spells at Brentford, Trotta would return to Italy via Avellino – he would score 13 goals in 36 Serie B games before being signed for Sassuolo. How does he feel about his return to Italy?

“At Avellino in Serie B we did very well, then Sassuolo gave me the chance to play in Serie A. Every team helped me to grow and gave me the chance to play in important stages."

Trotta's former club are struggling in Serie A this season, but what are his hopes for Sassuolo?

“We can say for sure that this is not a normal season for Sassuolo. They are suffering a lot and things have become worse with the injury to their most important player in Domenico Berardi who will return next year. But they have all the cards necessary to save themselves from relegation to Serie B, they have very good players and I hope they don't get relegated."

Trotta had the chance to play alongside Berardi in his time at Neroverdi. But who else in Italy did the striker enjoy playing with?

“At Sassuolo I had the chance to train with players like [Kevin-Prince] Boateng, Berardi and [Manuel] Locatelli. Then when I was at Crotone, I played for a little time with [Moussa] Diaby who now is at Aston Villa. The strongest defender that I have played against was [Kalidou] Koulibaly when at Napoli, he was like a wall back then and it was impossible to play against him."

Trotta made 22 league appearances for Frosinone and has been particularly impressed by the growth of their young players under the guidance of one of his former bosses. He says: "I had the chance to have Eusebio Di Francesco as a coach at Sassuolo so I know his football philosophy and his way of thinking very well.

“Frosinone started the season very well, and it is normal that during a season you have ups and downs. They are fighting every match and I am sure that they will stay in Serie A. The quality of Di Francesco is in his ability to discover new football talents everywhere he goes and he is also doing this at Frosinone with players like [Matias] Soule and Kaio Jorge. They are a young team that sometimes lacks experience but I think they are having a great season."

How does the former Serie A player reflect on the season as it draws to its close?

"Inter are having a wonderful season not only in Italy but also in Europe [until they were knocked out by Atletico Madrid]. I wasn't expecting Napoli to be at that lower level this season but it seems they are getting better. Also, nobody expected Sassuolo to be in the position it is in now just as nobody expected Bologna to be there fighting for the Champions League spot. Maybe the fight for the title is over but for every other position there is a battle going on."

Once the domestic season concludes, attention will turn to this summer's European Championships. How hopeful is Trotta that Italy will retain their crown in Germany?

“The most difficult thing in these tournaments is to retain the title because everybody is expecting you to have a great tournament because you are the champions. It is not easy because there are lots of different important teams but I am sure that Italy under Spalletti will have a successful tournament and will be there fighting until the end."

Trotta, now with Serie C Brindisi, remains coy about his own future. Where will he be taking his talents next?

“The future will be seen. Firstly, I want to finish as well as possible this season and then to find a project that fits me and my qualities as a player. I am open to every project including going abroad but it will be seen… I don't know what will happen."

- adapted by Jack McRae