Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly asked to be left out of Juventus' starting lineup for Sunday's Serie A clash with Udinese.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner took his spot on the bench for the trip to Luca Gotti's side, with Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata forming a two-man strike partnership.
Ronaldo's next career move continues to be called into question after entering the final year of his Bianconeri deal, although the Portuguese recently hit out at the media coverage of his future.
According to Sky Italia, Ronaldo asked not to start Sunday's game, but Juve chief Pavel Nedved played down the incident before reaffirming his confidence in the attacker staying at the club.
Speaking to DAZN about the decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench, Nedved said: "We've decided together with Ronaldo. It's normal. Ronaldo will 100% stay."
Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri also expects Ronaldo to stay at the club, and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has already ruled out a reunion with the 36-year-old at the Bernabeu. body check tags ::
