Massimiliano Allegri has defended Cristiano Ronaldo’s slow start to life at Juventus, saying the Portuguese has nothing left to prove at the top level of the game.
Usually a prolific goalscorer for club and country, Ronaldo has netted just twice since joining the Italian champions for £100million from Real Madrid over the summer.
He was controversially red carded in the midweek Champions League win over Valencia following an altercation with defender Jeison Murillo, adding further scrutiny to his early performances for his new side.
However, speaking before Juventus’ trip to newly-promoted Frosinone on Sunday evening, Juventus manager Allegri believes it is only a matter of time before the forward comes good.
‘He will have a great performance as he did in the first 30 minutes in the Champions League,’ Allegri said.
‘Everyone always has very high expectations of him but do you think he still has something to prove? I think he simply needs to play and enjoy himself, scoring goals as he always does. He has already proved everything in his career.
‘He is a very a demanding player, especially with himself, so I’m sure he will play a great game. Wednesday’s episode is already in the past.’
Ronaldo and Juventus will look to consolidate their lead at the top of Serie A in Sunday’s late kick-off at the Stadio Benito Stirpe.
Despite having a game in hand on most of their rivals, Allegri’s men are two points clear of Fiorentina in second ahead of Sunday’s action.
