"Why can’t I ask him for Ronaldo’s goals?" - Pavel Nedved insists Juventus forward can score more
Juventus executive Pavel Nedved has insisted Moise Kean can replicate the goalscoring feats of former star-striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kean, 22, has struggled in front of goal this season in the absence of the Portuguese legend, who joined Manchester United last summer. The Frenchman has scored just five goals in 30 Serie A appearances and many have criticized the striker for his poor output.
Nedved feels Kean can produce similar numbers to that of the Portuguese star. Nedved told Calciomercato (via JuveFC):
"Why can’t I ask him for Ronaldo’s goals? 25, not 35: he has great potential and if he plays close to goal, he can score."
Pavel Nedved:
“I can't ask Moise Kean to score 35 goals like Ronaldo, but he should be able to score 25." https://t.co/TgQ0ShghD0
Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus from Fiorentina for €75 million in the January window to ease the goalscoring burden on Kean. He made a good start to life at the Allianz Stadium but his form has dwindled in recent games. The Serbian currently has seven goals in 18 appearances for the Old Lady.
Nedved is urging Kean and Juve's forwards to improve their goalscoring output next season, with the Serie A side likely to finish fourth in the current campaign. He said:
“I ask him a lot, next year we expect our strikers to score more because that’s where we were missing.”
A natural goalscorer like Vlahovic having just 7 Goals in 19 Games for Juventus makes you realize what a monster Cristiano is to score 101 goals in just 3 seasons with Juventus
Can Juventus be expected to replace Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest players in the history of football. He boasts a remarkable goalscoring record in every league he has played in during his career.
The 37-year-old joined Juventus from Real Madrid in 2017 and took to life in Turin with great aplomb. His record as a Juve player stands at 101 goals in 134 appearances.
Asking the likes of Moise Kean and Dusan Vlahovic to try and replicate the legendary forward's numbers is a huge ask.
The drop-off in Juv's goalscoring output this season in comparison with last time out is worrying. Sitting in fourth, Juve currently have managed 55 goals, which is the joint-lowest of the top five teams in Serie A.
Last season, the Old Lady managed 77 goals, with Ronaldo contributing 29 of those.
Most UCL assists since 2010-11:
🥇 Ronaldo: 30
🥇 Di Maria: 30
🥈 Messi: 28.
Cristiano with the Best Argentine player in the world.
https://t.co/esX9X4Un8k
Juventus may look to bring in a winger to help provide Vlahovic and Kean with more opportunities.
Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria could be set to arrive in Turin following the expiration of his Paris deal this summer. GOAL reports that Juve are in talks with the Argentinian to bring him to the Allianz Stadium next season.
This can prove to be an astute signing as Di Maria has worked magic with a number of top strikers in his career, including Ronaldo at Real Madrid.