Capello backs De Ligt to shine at Juventus

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt will shine at his new side once he has been given time to find his feet, according to Fabio Capello.

Published : Sep 20, 2019 19:35 IST

Matthijs de Ligt has had a tough start to life at Juventus after moving from Ajax in the summer.
Matthijs de Ligt has had a tough start to life at Juventus after moving from Ajax in the summer.
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Matthijs de Ligt has had a tough start to life at Juventus after moving from Ajax in the summer.

Matthijs de Ligt has been backed by Fabio Capello to recover from his shaky start and prove his worth at Juventus.

Juventus signed De Ligt from Ajax for a reported €75 million in July after seeing off competition from a number of European rivals for his signature.

READ | Matuidi never considered leaving Juventus

Having been an unused substitute against Parma on the opening weekend, the Netherlands international has since started Juve's 4-3 win against Napoli, the goalless stalemate with Fiorentina and the 2-2 draw at Atletico Madrid.

De Ligt has come in for criticism for his performances so far, especially in the seven-goal thriller with Napoli, but Capello insists the Dutch youngster will return to his best form over time.

"He is young and should be given time to find confidence in a new environment and with new companions," Capello told Tuttosport . "His qualities are not up for debate. He is a great defender."

Juve looked disjointed in its goalless draw at Fiorentina but responded with a better performance against Atletico in midweek, Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi putting them two goals ahead in Madrid.

Atleti hit back with two goals from set-pieces to snatch a point, but Capello believes his former club showed the type of spirit that can take them all the way in this season's Champions League.

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"​I saw a great personality demonstrated on a very difficult field such as the Wanda Metropolitano," he said.  "The Bianconeri suffered. Their players gave everything. It was a different Juventus to the one in Florence - they faced Atletico without fear.

"Juventus, even after the mockery of the comeback they suffered, did not settle for an away draw in the last minutes and sought the goal to make it 3-2.  I am convinced that if Juve face every game with the personality of this game against Atletico Madrid, they can get to the final."

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