Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri finally revealed the truth about Cristiano Ronaldo refusing to play centre-forward at Juventus, an issue that seems to be flaring up again at Manchester United.
The Portugal international is surprisingly not even in the squad for tomorrow’s Premier League derby between Manchester United and Manchester City, sparking speculation in the English media.
After Sarri’s Lazio beat Cagliari 3-0 in Serie A this evening, Sky Sport Italia asked the tactician to spill the beans on the rumours that circulated around Ronaldo’s troubled rapport with the coach.
Was it true that Sarri asked Cristiano Ronaldo to play as a centre-forward for Juventus and CR7 refused?
“Cristiano scored more Serie A goals in his season with me than any other,” replied Sarri.
“He was prepared to play centre-forward in a few games when we had an emergency situation, but he didn’t much like the idea of doing it regularly.
“In those situations, you end up challenging the certainties that the player has. Ronaldo scored 35-40 goals per season by starting from that wider position, so for him it was an almost absurd request. That is understandable for the way he plays.”
Ronaldo played 46 competitive matches under Sarri at Juventus and found the net 37 times.
In the 2019-20 campaign, CR7 scored 31 goals in 33 Serie A appearances, along with eight assists.
There have been questions raised recently, as Ronaldo scored only once in his last 10 games for Manchester United.