Massimiliano Allegri says Matthijs De Ligt will be a Juventus player in the long term, effectively contradicting the player’s agent, Mino Raiola.
We reported yesterday that Raiola had suggested De Ligt could leave Juventus in the summer because several clubs were interested in a move for him.
The Dutchman has a contract at Juventus until 2024 and this gives the Bianconeri some breathing space in terms of the risk of losing him.
He is one for the future, although he is struggling to improve on the great promise his talent suggests he can achieve.
The centre-back remains one of the central figures in the Juventus lineup and he is likely to replace Giorgio Chiellini permanently in the Bianconeri team when the veteran retires.
Speaking ahead of Juve’s match against Milan today, Allegri maintains that De Ligt still has many years ahead of him and he will be a Juve player beyond this summer.
“There is a standard path for everybody, players and coaches. De Ligt is a young player with quality, but he still needs to improve and will stay many years at Juventus, regardless of how many games he plays,” the coach said as quoted by Football Italia.
“De Ligt is 22 years old. He is an excellent player. He joined Juventus from Ajax when he was only 20. After he arrived here, somebody wrote: ‘He is a future Ballon d’Or winner.’
“Guys, calm is needed. He is 20, but the Juventus jersey is a heavy one. Chiellini was probably not as good as De Ligt at his age, but at 27-28, he became a great player. It takes time.”
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