"It was quite hard" - Matthijs de Ligt says he afforded Cristiano Ronaldo too much respect at Juventus

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt admits he gave too much respect to senior players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, when he first arrived in Turin.

The 22-year-old centre-back joined Juve from Ajax in 2019 following the Amsterdam side's incredible run to the Champions League semi-final. De Ligt was a hugely influential member of that team but initially struggled to settle in and perform for the Old Lady.

The Dutchman now feels he respected former teammates Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon too much before their departures to Manchester United and Parma, respectively. Speaking to CBS Sport, the Holland international said:

“At the beginning, it was quite hard. I am a really respectful guy, sometimes I respected these guys too much. In the end, we are all in the same team, you have to challenge each other to become better. But at some point, you learn from other players and become good colleagues and friends.”

De Ligt eventually changed his respectful attitude and has become a regular starter for the Italian giants. He has made 110 appearances in three seasons at the club.

Ronaldo made 134 appearances across competitions for Juventus, scoring 101 goals and registering 22 assists. The Portuguese left Juve last summer to make a sensational return to Manchester United. However, his move to Old Trafford has not gone according to plan. Despite being the club's top goalscorer this season, Ronaldo faces a season without any trophies with the Red Devils.

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Wayne Rooney claims Manchester United made a mistake re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney believes the club's signing of de Ligt's former teammate Ronaldo was a mistake.

The MEN reports that Ronaldo has been blamed for harming the progression of the club's squad this season, including several youth prospects. Many believe that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's arrival has negatively impacted his teammates, who are afraid to confront the Portuguese if the team is struggling on the pitch.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rooney claimed that the Red Devils need to start focusing on producing younger, hungrier players and shouldn't need to rely on the 37-year-old. The current Derby County manager said:

"No, [signing Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t worked out well for Manchester United]. He’s scored goals, he’s scored important goals in the Champions League early on in the season. He’s scored the hat-trick against Tottenham but I think if you look into the future or the club, you have to go with younger, hungry players to lift Manchester United over the next 2-3 years."

"He obviously isn’t the player he was when he was in his 20s. And that happens, that’s football. He’s a goal threat but I think ([for the rest of the game] they need young and hungry players.”