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Cristiano Ronaldo 'Refused' To Do One Thing At Juventus, He Is Now Doing It At Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo 'Refused' To Do One Thing At Juventus, He Is Now Doing It At Manchester United

Man United legend Cristiano Ronaldo once turned down Maurizio Sarri's request to play as a centre forward during his time at Juventus.

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of ‘refusing’ to play as a centre forward at Juventus.

That is according to Giancarlo Marocchi, who made the observation after Ronaldo’s second debut for the Red Devils.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer immediately started Ronaldo in his side’s 4-1 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Ronaldo was deployed as a centre forward and marked his sensational return at United with a superb brace.

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However, former Juventus midfielder Marocchi has now claimed that the 36-year-old Portuguese forward “refused” to play as a centre forward in Turin.

PA

According to Football Italia, the Sky Sport Italy pundit said: “I noticed he played a centre forward yesterday, which is something he refused to do when he was at Juventus.”

Ronaldo scored an impressive 101 times in 134 appearances at Juventus under Massimiliano Allegri, Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was often deployed out on the left wing during his time in Turin, but he also moved central to act as a second striker during his partnership with Mario Mandzukic.

Former Juventus manager Sarri flew out to the French Riviera in 2019 to meet with Ronaldo with the intention of using him as a centre forward instead of a winger.

PA

Solskjaer hailed the impact of Ronaldo upon his Old Trafford return, but he revealed that the United legend had the licence to drift wide in the victory over Newcastle.

“He’s a different type of player to when he left but he’s still a ruthless and clinical goalscorer,” he said.

“He smells the big moments and when there are goals in there. He’s developed into a miles better footballer than he was when he was [first] here.

“Sometimes he can drift off to the sides and get turned and finish from there. You’re not going to use him as a battering ram, are you?

“He senses the big moments, when to run into the box and when to run in behind. He played very simply and didn’t give many balls away. I think he gave one away.”

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football, Juventus, Serie A, Italy