Juventus forward Alvaro Morata said he doesn’t speak with Cristiano Ronaldo about a potential return to Real Madrid but wants him to stay in Turin.
The 28-year-old returned to Juventus ahead of the 2020-21 season and started the season in great form, but has struggled with fitness problems in recent months.
Morata admitted it has been ‘a complicated year’, as Andrea Pirlo’s men are out of the Champions League and sit 10 points behind Inter in Serie A.
Juventus forward Alvaro Morata said he doesn’t speak with Cristiano Ronaldo about a potential return to Real Madrid but wants him to stay in Turin.
The 28-year-old returned to Juventus ahead of the 2020-21 season and started the season in great form, but has struggled with fitness problems in recent months.
Morata admitted it has been ‘a complicated year’, as Andrea Pirlo’s men are out of the Champions League and sit 10 points behind Inter in Serie A.
“It was a complicated year, the small details had us eliminated from the Champions League, like the mistake after one minute or in stoppages, when the penalty was not given,” Morata told El Larguero.
“It’s everyone’s fault. They are small details, if I had scored with a header, we would have been in the quarter-finals.
“We are looking at the positive side, we have won the Supercoppa Italiana and we have the Coppa Italia Final to play.
“The championship is always difficult, after nine years of success, this is a season of changes.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised by the Italian media and Morata defends the Portuguese striker.
“They criticised us all,” he said. “Of course, it bothers us. I’m the first to know about the criticism and Cristiano too.
“I don’t have to explain who Cristiano is, he always tries to defend the Juventus shirt. We are a team and I repeat, with the Supercoppa Italiana and hopefully the Coppa Italia, it won’t be a bad season.”
Ronaldo has been linked with a return to Real Madrid, but Morata said he thinks the Portugal international is ‘happy with the group’.
“Honestly, we talk about everything but football,” he said. “We spend a lot of time together on the pitch talking about pressing and tactics.
“When we go out, we don’t talk about football. We talk about current events, the world, dinners… He’s used to playing in the Champions League Finals. But he would have been the same in another club.
“It’s not a Juve problem. He’s happy with the group but he’s used to winning, so it’s normal that he’s angry.
“I think he’s happy with the team. Juventus and I want him to stay, because Juventus must have the best in the world.”
Morata said he’s ‘happy at Juventus’, but highlighted he is on loan from Atletico Madrid and won’t know about his own future until after the season.
“When you are on loan and there are many clubs, your opinion doesn’t really matter,” he said. “I was happy at Atletico, I’m happy at Juventus.
“I have a contract, at the end of the year they will tell me something about it.
“For now, I haven’t talked to the club about this. I’m happy at Juventus, we are at the beginning of a new project and I’m happy here.”