Trouble in Turin: Ronaldo is on the bench and what that means for his future

Juventus lined up for their first Serie A match of the season against Udinese, and there was a big surprise in the first 11. Cristiano Ronaldo was absent, only given a space on the substitutes' bench. Though he came on later on as a second-half substitute, this might be a significant moment in his plans at the Bianconeri. 

In Massimiliano Allegri's first match of his second reign at Juventus, the Italian coach made a big call. Despite being left out totally of Thursday's friendly against the Juventus U-23 side, Ronaldo was again deemed not fit enough to start on Matchday 1 of Serie A. Allegri instead preferred to go with a front two of Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata in a conservative 4-4-2. 

After the match, club director, Pavel Nedved was at pains to explain the absence of the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner, stressing that it was purely for football-related reasons. The club legend pointed out that Chiellini was also on the bench for the Old Lady, suggesting that match fitness concerns are what made Allegri choose to leave Ronaldo on the bench. 

However, this is coming at a bad time considering the numerous rumours surrounding the Portuguese' future at the Allianz Stadium. Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from Juventus all summer, with PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid mooted as possible destinations. It is rumoured that Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, had indeed offered his client's services to Manchester City with a transfer fee of £35m discussed. 

In his comments to the media, Nedved urged that too much meaning should not be read into Ronaldo's absence. The Czech national pointed to Ronaldo's last gasp goal that was disallowed as evidence that the Juventus squad still depends on the frontman's quality up the pitch. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 37 and 36 goals respectively in his 2 seasons with the Italian heavyweights. However, he has just 1 year left on his current contract with it unlikely that his mega-contract would be extended. Especially with his inability to guide the Juventus team to a much-coveted UEFA Champions League title, failing to go past the Quarter-finals since he joined from Real Madrid.