"It's not like he's any less strong now than when he arrived" – Allegri compares Juventus star to Cristiano Ronaldo amid struggle to hit form

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has compared Dusan Vlahovic to Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo amid the former's poor run of form.

Vlahovic, 23, has struggled to live up to expectations at the Old Lady since arriving from Fiorentina for a fee of £66 million last January. He shot to fame after scoring 41 goals in one-and-a-half seasons for his former club. However, the forward has failed to replicate his old form in Turin.

A left-footed towering attacker blessed with pace and finishing, the 21-cap Serbia international has started all but two of Juventus' matches since the turn of the year. However, he has scored just 11 goals all season.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Allegri backed Vlahovic to find his form again, comparing him to Ronaldo in the process. He said (via GOAL):

"There was criticism for Cristiano Ronaldo when he arrived. Dusan will find the goal again, he is 22 years old and has also improved technically. Throughout your entire career, there are certain moments when things go less well for you. You must remain serene."

Claiming that Vlahovic still has the ability, the Juventus boss added:

"Last season, no one wanted to see [Adrien] Rabiot on the pitch, if I'm not mistaken. Dusan has very specific characteristics and it's not like he's any less strong now than when he arrived."

Ronaldo, 38, joined the Bianconeri from Real Madrid for £105 million in 2018. He registered 101 goals and 22 assists in 134 matches across all competitions for the Italian outfit, lifting a total of five trophies in the process.

Former Sporting CP defender opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo's early years in Lisbon

Speaking to ESPN Brasil, former Sporting CP star Andre Cruz recalled his earliest memory of Portugal ace Cristiano Ronaldo. He elaborated:

"Cristiano was quiet because he was just coming up from the academy. Our team was very strong because we had been Portuguese champions with several important players. He was very shy and spoke very little to us. It's normal for young people to be quieter."

Heaping praise on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Cruz continued:

"Cristiano was very fast, strong, tall, and thin. He trained like hell and had personality. He had such a determination that we could already imagine that if he continued like that, he would go to bigger clubs and could, one day, be the best player in the world. [Ricardo] Quaresma and Hugo [Viana] had many qualities but he was ahead."