Massimiliano Allegri Praises Frenkie de Jong After Juventus' UCL Draw with Ajax

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has praised Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong following the draw between the two sides in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The Italian outfit took the lead in Amsterdam following a trademark header from Cristiano Ronaldo, although the hosts equalised early in the second period through David Neres. It means the score is 1-1 ahead of Tuesday's second leg in Turin.

Speaking after the game, Allegri detailed the midfield battle as a key area and commented on how they struggled to contain Ajax starlet De Jong, per UEFA.com (h/t The Independent):

"De Jong is the real source of their game. We tried to control him with (Rodrigo) Bentancur in the early stages but, when he understood that, he moved deeper, and the forwards had to work hard on him. He played very well.

"Ajax have great qualities. They keep the ball well even when there are no spaces. I think we defended well even if we had to be better when we won the ball in midfield."

Here are the goals from the clash in Amsterdam, including a lapse in concentration from De Jong that allowed Ronaldo to open the scoring (U.S. only):

Overall, Ajax will be a little disappointed they aren't taking a lead to Italy. For the majority of the game they were in control and prior to Ronaldo's opening goal, they looked the most likely team to score.

Much of the control they enjoyed came from De Jong, who has agreed to join Barcelona in the summer for €75 million. The Dutchman's performance illustrated why the Blaugrana were willing to spend such a high fee for him.

BT Sport took a closer look at his display in the heart of the Ajax midfield:

After the game, BT Sport's Darrell Currie commented on how impressed he was with the 21-year-old:

A number of rising stars at Ajax have cemented their reputation as potential world-class talents during the campaign, although none more than De Jong.

Despite his tender years, he has a rounded understanding of the game. De Jong is a cerebral footballer who thinks his way through matches; factor in his passing range, tenacity and technical ability, and he's close to being a complete midfielder.

Per football writer Simon Kuper, he appears to enjoy the challenges that are coming his way:

There will be extra scrutiny on De Jong at Barcelona. Not only will there be a pressure to perform following a big-money move, playing for such a high-profile club will demand that De Jong raises his game again.

So far, the signs have been nothing but positive from the Dutchman, and it'll be intriguing to see how he fares in Turin in the second leg having performed so well in the previous round at the home of defending champions Real Madrid.