‘He simply has to swallow that t**d’: Matthijs de Ligt will receive extra scrutiny in Italy as Juventus player, warns Dutch legend Ruud Gullit
- Matthijs de Ligt joined Juventus for £67million from Ajax in the summer
- Fellow Dutchman Ruud Gullit told the defender he would face extra scrutiny
- The former AC Milan player advised de Ligt to simply get on with his football
- De Ligt made his debut for the club in a 4-3 win victory over Napoli in Serie A
Ruud Gullit has warned Matthis de Ligt to expect extra attention in Italy as a Juventus player.
The 19-year-old defender joined Juventus for £67million in the summer after starring in Ajax’s Champions League semi-final run last season.
Having been left out by Maurizio Sarri for their opening Serie A win over Parma, de Ligt played in a 4-3 victory over close rivals Napoli.
Matthis de Ligt joined Juventus from Ajax in a high-profile £67million move this summer
Having spent seven years with Milan before two campaigns with Sampdoria, Gullit is aware of the pressures that come with playing in Italy and had plenty of advice for de Ligt.
Gullit wrote in De Telegraaf: ‘That brings a lot of pressure. Winning is normal and then it doesn’t matter if it is in the competition or European. You always have to win and certainly the Champions League.
‘That’s what Juventus is all about. Because of the defeat against Ajax in the CL they immediately started buying new players and started with a new trainer. That is the pressure.
Ruud Gullit believes de Ligt will be exposed to great scrutiny as a Juventus player
‘That politics is practiced at the same time around those clubs does not matter. That’s how it goes. A Juventus player is approached differently by newspapers from Milan than from Turin.’
Gullit added: ‘Matthijs must simply swallow that turd and continue. He can keep faith in himself because he has proven more than necessary and shows that he possesses the qualities to be able to play at the highest level.’
Despite a shaky start against Napoli, Gullit is confident the youngster can establish himself among the elite.
‘I know that De Ligt is 100 percent on top of this. At the time, he also started off badly at the age of 17 when he was a Dutch national and had a good return.