Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has appeared to aim a thinly-veiled dig at his former star striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar left the Bianconeri this summer to complete a sensational return to Manchester United after 12 years away from the club.
Ronaldo and Allegri worked together at Juve in the 2018-19 campaign, where they won the Serie A title before the coach was relieved of his duties as the club sought to modernise their style of play.
Ronaldo netted a remarkable 101 goals in three seasons for the Old Lady – remarkable numbers considering he was aged 36 by the time of his exit – and won five trophies at the club, including two Coppa Italia crowns.
There is little doubt that Ronaldo’s powers are now on the wane with Allegri previously rubbing salt into the wounds of the Portuguese no longer being among the top contenders for the Ballon d’Or award.
Have Your Say! Can Ronaldo transform his fortunes at Man Utd? Tell us what you think here.
Allegri returned to the role of Juve head coach this summer and despite previously having a seemingly cordial and even close relationship with Ronaldo, the dynamics of that appeared to have changed.
The coach explained after his return that the Portuguese superstar should have accepted more rotation and it is possible that Ronaldo’s desire to leave Turin this summer was, at least in part, accelerated by Allegri’s appointment.
Juve have not enjoyed a vintage campaign; they are currently languishing in fourth spot in Serie A and are nine points off league leaders Milan and are seven points from third-placed Napoli.
However, Allegri insists that his side are improving and appeared to criticise Ronaldo when responding to how the Old Lady were growing into the campaign.
The Juve boss did not mention the Portuguese star by name but his use of the term ‘personal targets’ suggests that he was referring to his exit last summer.
Allegri told reporters on Thursday: “I think that personal targets have been put aside and there is more focus on the team.
“We have been together for six or seven months now. We are knowing each other a little more, we feel more like a team.”
Ronaldo has struggled to hit top form at Old Trafford since his return to the club, but his goal return of 15 in 27 appearances is still respectable.
He ended his goal drought in 2022 with a fantastic effort to open the scoring in Tuesday night’s two-goal home victory over Brighton in the Premier League.
