'Ronaldo used to hide some of our problems,' admits Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini

Football superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo surprised many by leaving Italian giants, Juventus for Manchester United last summer and his departure saw many criticise the striker by claiming that there was a lack of team spirit within the squad during his time in Turin.

However, Juventus skipper, Giorgio Chiellini has now admitted that Ronaldo used to hide some of their problems thanks to his brilliance on the pitch - outlining the importance that he had on their fortunes over the past three campaigns.

"Ronaldo used to hide some of our problems. He was an important player. With a top player like him, it’s easier to mask the issues we had. I expected a difficult season after his exit, but we are almost the same team as last season, with Locatelli and Kean and without Cristiano," he said at a pre-match press conference ahead of their Italian Super Cup clash against Inter Milan.

The Bianconeri have dominated the footballing sphere in Italy for more than a decade, but saw Inter break their dominance by winning the Serie A title last season, with the Italian defender revealing their rivals remain the favourites to defend their title despite the departures of Antonio Conte, Romelu Lukaku and Acharaf Hakimi.

“You can ask [Inter defender Alessandro] Bastoni what I told him back in October when they were seven points off the top of the table. I said that only Inter could lose the Scudetto. Milan are in the race, but to me, Inter are the most complete team in Serie A. I may be wrong, but I’ve always thought they were the favorites for the Serie A title," he added.

Chiellini will be hoping that his side will put up a fight when they face Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana final which takes place in the San Siro on Wednesday, 12 January.