The 35-year-old has flown home to Madeira, following his mother was taken to hospital having suffered a suspected stroke on Tuesday morning.
Maurizio Sarri says there’s nobody on the planet who will replace Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Juventus star having flown home after his mother was taken sick.
Dolores Aveiro, 65, was hospitalised in Madeira after suffering a suspected stroke on Tuesday morning.
She’s reported to be at a conscious and stable state but will be kept under observation at the Dr Nelio Mendonca Hospital.
Ronaldo flew back to Portugal on a private jet having been granted compassionate leave by the Serie A champions.
“I don’t know what is going to happen, it’s a personal thing, so he’ll talk about it when he returns,” Sarri told a media conference.
“His return will depend on how the situation develops.
“It’s clear that the tactics and strategies do vary based on if Ronaldo is available or not.
“There is no substitute for him in the entire world, so naturally we would do something different in his absence”.
Juventus have been in action in the semi-finals of this Coppa Italia on Wednesday, hosting AC Milan at the next leg following a contentious 1-1 draw in the first game.
Their Serie A match with Bologna on Sunday has been postponed because of the continuing coronavirus catastrophe in Italy, but their fighting match with title rivals Inter could be rearranged for the day of Monday 9.
Inter president Steven Zhang launched a furious assault on Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino on Monday, calling him”the biggest clown I’ve ever seen” over his handling of the league’s fixture chaos.
Though he began the season slowly, Ronaldo was in magnificent goalscoring form in recent months and Juventus are certain to feel his absence.
He’s scored in 11 consecutive Serie A games, netting 16 goals during that spell and continue failing to find the net in the league on November 10. He’s the league’s second best scorer with 21 to his title, trailing 27-goal Lazio ahead Ciro Immobile.
Sarri will probably turn to one or both of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain in Ronaldo’s absence.
Dybala has 12 goals to his name in all competitions this year, with Higuain netting eight.
