Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus fans that he’s focussed on recovering from his injury setback.
He was left out of Maurizio Sarri’s squad to face Atalanta this weekend, after admitting that he had been playing through injury.
Questions had been raised over Ronaldo’s fitness, after he reacted angrily to being substituted by Sarri before the international break.
Portugal boss Fernando Santos then claimed Ronaldo was perfectly fit, as he went on to score a hat-trick against Lithuania.
But, Ronaldo did eventually confirm that he had a slight injury, and will face some time on the sidelines.
“Focused on my recovery to come back soon,” he wrote on social media.
There was speculation surrounding the happiness of Ronaldo, after he appeared to have a row with Sarri on the Juventus touchline, after being substituted for Paulo Dybala against AC Milan.
He was replaced in the 55th minute by Dybala in Juve’s clash against AC Milan, and headed straight for the dressing rooms after leaving the pitch.
Ronaldo reportedly left the stadium before the match had even finished, as Dybala scored the winning goal.
After the game, Sarri said that he substituted Ronaldo as he had a slight injury concern.
He said: “We must thank Ronaldo, because he made a sacrifice to be there tonight in a difficult situation.
“He did everything possible to play, but I saw he was not well and thought it best to take him off.”
After playing through the pain barrier for Portugal, Ronaldo finally admitted that he hasn’t been 100 per cent.
He said that his anger at being substituted was born out of the frustration of being injury.
He explained: “I tried to help Juventus even playing injured. Nobody likes to be substituted, but I understand the substitutions because I wasn’t fit.
“As well as in the last two games for Portugal, I wasn’t 100 per cent. When it’s needed to sacrifice myself for my club and the national team, I do so full of pride. I knew there were many things involved in these games.”
