"We had no chance to replace him" - Juventus manager Allegri wishes Cristiano Ronaldo had left "a month earlier"

Massimiliano Allegri has expressed his disappointment at the timing of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Juventus. The Portuguese forward rejoined Manchester United this summer.

Ronaldo's transfer was completed in the final week of the summer transfer window, with the player leaving Juventus on August 27. According to Allegri, it left the Italian club with very little time to replace the veteran forward. He told DAZN on Friday:

"Just a few days from the end of the transfer window, we had no chance to replace him (Ronaldo). The club was good at bringing in Kean, who has already scored two important goals, so I'm happy. If Ronaldo had left a month earlier maybe the club would have had the chance to work in a completely different market. For that alone, it is not that Ronaldo is at fault, it is a question of the market."

Juventus signed Ronaldo from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. The Italian club paid €100 million to the Spanish giants for his services. During his three-year stay at Juventus, Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 games for the Italian giants.

Manchester United paid only €15 million to land the 36-year-old forward this summer. Juventus could not negotiate a higher price given Ronaldo's age and the fact that he only had one year left on his Turin contract.

Juventus are struggling without Cristiano Ronaldo this season

Juventus lost their grip over Serie A last season after winning nine Scudettos on the trot. They finished fourth, one point behind runners-up AC Milan. Ronaldo was blamed for their poor showing despite the Portuguese forward scoring 29 goals to finish as the top scorer in Italy.

With Ronaldo gone this season, the Bianconeri have struggled a lot more. Juventus are currently ninth in the table with 15 points after 11 games. The return of former Serie A winning coach Allegri has not been met with immediate success at the club.

Speaking about Juventus' dire situation this season, the Italian boss said:

"At this moment we cannot think of targets. Let's think about Verona and then the Champions League. One step at a time and let's see what to do. I think Inter remain the favourites for the (Serie A) title, but Milan and Napoli are doing well and have what it takes to win the championship. Then you never know. In football you can also have four negative games in a row."

Juventus suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Hellas Verona last weekend.