It’s been reported in Italy that some of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus team-mates expect an apology from him after his actions at the weekend.
The 34-year-old was substituted in the clash with AC Milan in the second half, the second consecutive game in which Maurizio Sarri has opted to take him off despite his side needing to find a goal to win the game.
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The Italian tactician told the media after the win over Lokomotiv Moscow last week that Ronaldo is carrying a knee problem which is contributing to his struggles in recent outings, and so perhaps that was bothering him again at the weekend.
Nevertheless, it proved to be the right decision as substitute Paulo Dybala went on to score the winning goal to keep the Turin giants top of the Serie A table heading into the international break.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, after it was reported that Ronaldo left the stadium early after going straight down the tunnel following the substitution, some of his Juventus teammates are seemingly unimpressed and expect an apology for his decision.
It’s added that there will be no formal action taken by the club hierarchy in terms of a fine or further punishment, and so it appears to be an issue within the squad that needs to be sorted to clear things up and quickly move on.
Time will tell whether or not Ronaldo believes an apology is necessary, but ultimately it’s expected that the situation will be brushed under the carpet fairly swiftly when the players return from international duty.
The important thing as far as Sarri is concerned is that they won the game and continue to lead the way in Serie A ahead of title rivals Inter, while Ronaldo will be backed to rediscover his form once he shakes off this knee issue.
