Pavel Nedved insists Mattia De Sciglio and Paulo Dybala are the present and future of Juventus ahead of today’s clash with Napoli, but is ‘not surprised’ Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his Manchester United debut.
It kicks off at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).
“It is a tough game, certainly, we want to play like Juve, with heart, and the club is close to the team. It’s only the third round, but we want to do well during a tricky moment,” Juventus vice-president Nedved told DAZN.
“You say we have a young team, I say it’s also a new team, so we are trying to mix the more experienced figures with those we introduced and believe in for the present and above all future of this club.
“The prospects of this team are immense and we have great faith in them.”
Former Bianconeri star Ronaldo found the net twice in his first game for Manchester United, playing against Newcastle United this afternoon.
“I am not surprised that Cristiano scored!” he laughed.
Juve are also in negotiations to extend Dybala’s contract, as it only runs to June 2022 and there’s the very real risk of losing him as a free agent.
“We are progressing well with Dybala, I was there for some phases of negotiations, we are very confident and hope to do a deal soon.”
De Sciglio is in the starting XI this evening, having spent last season on loan at Olympique Lyonnais, as the South American players were all left behind in Turin due to their late return from international duty.
“I consider De Sciglio to be an excellent defender. His career has stalled due to injuries, but there are few who play with his technique and clean passing,” insisted Nedved.
“He worked with us throughout pre-season training and I hope he can remain fit to become an important element of this team.”