Juventus director Pavel Nedved insists that Cristiano Ronaldo's future remains in Turin despite the star beginning the Serie A season on the bench.
Ronaldo was a surprise absence from the Juve starting XI as they kicked off their Scudetto quest on Sunday away to Udinese.
Yet despite rumours linking him with a move away, Nedved affirmed that the decision was purely football-related - and the star almost proved Juve's saviour with a last-gasp effort which was ultimately ruled out.
What was said?
“We mustn’t try to create sensational stories where there aren’t any," the director told DAZN before kick-off. "It was a decision shared with the player. At the start of the season, naturally he is not at top fitness.
"The coach is trying to use the best line-up at this moment, for example Chiellini is also on the bench today. The decisions were made to be most competitive today."
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The bigger picture
Ronaldo has proved a key player for Juventus since joining the club from Real Madrid in 2018, leading the club to the Serie A crown in both of his first two seasons.
Juve fell short both domestically and in Europe during 2021-22, though, and with less than 12 months remaining on his contract there is widespread speculation that the veteran could move on, with former clubs Manchester United and Real Madrid and even a stunning partnership with Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain mentioned as possibilities.
For their part, the Bianconeri are not interested in discussing a sale, and Nedved joins coach Massimiliano Allegri in assuring that Ronaldo has no plans to leave this summer.
"Ronaldo is an added bonus for us, because he guarantees a large number of goals," Allegri told reporters in the build-up to the Udinese clash. "Obviously, we also have to work as a team to get the best out of an individual.
"He has always trained well, I just read the gossip in the papers. He never told us he wanted to leave. "Ronaldo told me that he is staying at Juventus."
Ronaldo's importance to the Juve cause was underlined as they struggled to take down a Udinese team shorn of key players Juan Musso and Rodrigo De Paul, who were sold to Atalanta and Atletico Madrid respectively.
The Turin side went two goals ahead through Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado before the break, but saw that lead slip and went into the final minutes tied at 2-2.
Cristiano, who entered just before the hour-mark for Alvaro Morata, then thought he had won the game with a last-minute strike, only to see VAR reverse the decision due to offside - although not before he had ripped off his shirt in celebration, earning himself a yellow card.