"He made himself available" - Juventus boss clarifies why Cristiano Ronaldo started the game on the bench 

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has clarified that it was his decision to start Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in his team's opening Serie A game against Udinese.

Speaking to DAZN (via India Today), Allegri said that Ronaldo was feeling alright before the game, and was ready to start. But it was his decision to start the 36-year-old forward on the bench. The Juventus boss said in this regard:

"Ronaldo is feeling well; I had talked to him before the game, telling him he would start on the bench. He made himself available; he did well when he entered the pitch."

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's immediate future at Juventus. According to various reports, it was Ronaldo's call to feature on the bench instead of starting the game against Juventus. However, Allegri has brushed off those rumours.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Juventus have so far not received any offers for Ronaldo, so the Portuguese superstar seems to be staying at the Allianz Stadium for another season.

Juventus manager Allegri: “Cristiano Ronaldo is fit, yes. I was talking with him before the match and the decision was to start on the bench. I told Cristiano to get ready - he was good in the second half”. ⚪️🇵🇹 #RonaldoJuventus position: no bids received, Cristiano will stay.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 22, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo has entered the final year of his Juventus contract. The 36-year-old forward seems to be analysing his options before committing his future with the Old Lady.

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Cristiano Ronaldo had a last-minute winner for Juventus disallowed

Cristiano Ronaldo had an almost perfect start to his new season for Juventus. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner came off the bench in the 60th minute and almost snatched a dramatic last-minute winner for the Bianconeri. After scoring Ronaldo celebrated wildly by taking off his shirt, for which he was given a yellow card.

However, Ronaldo's header was ruled offside by the VAR after a lengthy check. The game between Juventus and Udinese eventually finished 2-2 after goals from Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado were cancelled out by former Juventus player Roberto Pereyra and winger Gerard Deulofeu's strikes.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri believes the Old Lady could have done better in the second half despite having a decent outing. Allegri said:

"We played a good game. We should have done better in the second half, where we were unable to manage unexpected events. This must serve as a lesson to us."

90+4’: Ronaldo scores game winner90+5’: Ronaldo booked for taking off his shirt 90+7’: VAR rules the goal offside 😬 pic.twitter.com/Q9WxNDURv1

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 22, 2021

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