Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini has delivered his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational return to Manchester United in the final days of the summer. The Portuguese superstar left Serie A after three years as he forced his departure despite having a year still remaining on his contract in Turin.
Ronaldo set the Premier League on fire on his second debut of Manchester United, scoring a brace to give his side a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Old Trafford. His former employers Juventus have experienced contrasting fortunes as they sit a mere two places above the relegation zone with a single point from three Serie A matches.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men have found the goals hard to come by in the wake of Ronaldo’s exit. After going down 1-0 to promoted Empoli on home turf, Juventus squandered a 1-0 half-time lead in Naples, losing 2-1 to Napoli on Saturday. The Bianconeri will need something special to return in contention for the Serie A title as they already trail the top-three sides by a staggering eight points.
Chiellini, who captained his team at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona yesterday, reflected on Ronaldo’s departure, admitting it left a sizeable gap.
“When you have a world-class player like Cristiano, you cannot help but use the team to play for him,” he told DAZN, as relayed by the Daily Star.
“We must be grateful to Cristiano for all he did during these years at Juventus, but we carry on.“
Chiellini also tipped Paulo Dybala to fill Ronaldo’s shoes at the Allianz Stadium and steer Juventus back to the top.
“This will be Paulo Dybala’s team. Over the last couple of years, he lowered his average goals because of Cristiano’s presence, but he is a key player for this team and that is recognized by everyone.“