Maurizio Sarri has clarified why Cristiano Ronaldo was hauled off during Juventus' 1-0 win over AC Milan amid reports the Portuguese star left the stadium early.
Ronaldo reacted angrily after being withdrawn early in the second half following a below-par performance on Sunday.
It was the second game in a row in which he had been substituted, and as he left the pitch the 34-year-old stormed past Juventus boss Sarri and straight down the tunnel.
Reports claimed Ronaldo gave Sarri 'a dirty look' before leaving the Allianz Stadium three minutes before the final whistle
Sarri's decision was vindicated by the fact that Ronaldo's replacement Paulo Dybala scored the winner to send Juventus back to the top of the Serie A table.
It was a similar situation during Wednesday's Champions League match at Lokomotiv Moscow, with Douglas Costa scoring a last-gasp winner for Juve after Ronaldo had looked unhappy at being taken off .
Now Sarri has confirmed why Ronaldo was hooked for the second game in succession - saying he has been playing with an injury which is limiting his performance levels.
Sarri said: "Over the last month Cristiano has had this knee problem, he had a knock in training and it hurt the collateral ligament.
"When he trains at or plays, it unbalances him, so he ends up overcompensating and it damages the calf and thigh muscles. It is affecting his performances."
Two successive substitutions have not gone down well with former Manchester United and Real Madrid ace Ronaldo, however.
As he left the pitch on Sunday he gave Sarri a dirty look and muttered something under his breath, according to the Guardian .
And Football Italia reported that rather than stick around to support his teammates in a crucial Serie A clash, Ronaldo was gone from the stadium three minutes before the final whistle.
On Ronaldo's reaction to his substitution against Milan, Sarri said: "It's not a problem. We must thank him because he made himself available to play in exceptional conditions, then I preferred to replace him.
"If he gets angry its part of the normality of all the players, especially one who has made sacrifices to be there."
