Andrea Pirlo praises Cristiano Ronaldo after his double against Cagliari

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo earned the plaudits for his performance in their 2-0 win over Cagliari, with his manager insisting his ‘talents are not natural’.

The 35-year-old, who made the move to Italy from Real Madrid in a £100million deal in 2018, notched two goals in the space of four minutes to move Juventus to within a point of Serie A leaders AC Milan.

The brace saw him reach eight goals in just four starts, leading to plenty of praise from former midfielder and Juve boss Andrea Pirlo.

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo earned the plaudits for display in 2-0 victory over Cagliari

Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo insisted the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s ‘talents are not natural’

‘He is a great professional, as we already knew,’ Pirlo told DAZN.

‘He is a real champion and sets the example for everyone around him, both in the matches and in training.

‘The only advice I can give him is to keep going in the same way.’ 

The Portugal captain has been linked with a move away from Turin in recent weeks with a return to Madrid the latest destination to be mooted. 

Ronaldo notched two goals in space of four minutes to move Juventus a point behind AC Milan

Ronaldo, whose deal at Juve expires in the summer of 2022, currently earns £28million per year in Turin and the Serie A giants are reportedly looking to clear the huge salary off their wage bill. 

Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are also interested and Pirlo insisted Juventus are fortunate to have the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in their ranks.

‘We have to keep our young man like this,’ he added.

‘He gave me great availability in training, in games, for anything. His goals and goals. His talents are not natural, we are lucky that he plays at Juventus.’