Agnelli hints Juventus might not risk Ronaldo against Ajax

MILAN (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo may not be risked for Juventus‘ first match of the Champions League quarterfinals against Ajax, club president Andrea Agnelli hinted on Friday.

Ronaldo injured a muscle in his right thigh and limped off 30 minutes into Portugal’s 1-1 draw against Serbia on Monday in qualifying for the 2020 European Championship.

“When you have muscle injuries you have to be very careful,” Agnelli said. “For one match you risk compromising the next two months.”

Juventus has said the injury is “apparently minor,” while Ronaldo told Portuguese media after the match he “should be back in one or two weeks.”

Juventus travels to Ajax for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on April 10, then hosts the Dutch team the following week.

“It’s more important to safeguard two and a half months than one match only,” Agnelli said.

Ronaldo scored a hat trick against Atletico Madrid in the return leg of the last 16 as Juventus overturned a first-leg deficit.