Maurizio Sarri Confirms Cristiano Ronaldo Injury, Says Star 'Not in Great Shape'

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has said Cristiano Ronaldo is "not in great shape" and coping with a knee injury after he was replaced during Wednesday's 2-1 win away to Lokomotiv Moscow. 

Ronaldo, 34, looked upset after he was taken off in the 82nd minute of the UEFA Champions League clash at RZD Arena, not long before Douglas Costa—an earlier substitute—scored the winner in injury time.

Sarri spoke to reporters after the result and explained Ronaldo carried a knee injury into the match, adding he took the player off as a precaution:

"Ronaldo is not in great shape at the moment, as over the last few days he's had a bad knee, so to compensate for it he is putting more strain on the adductor.

"He was already irritable towards half-time because it was causing him problems. On a sprint, he made a movement I didn't like the look of, so I was afraid he'd really hurt himself and decided it was best to take him off."

The manager was ultimately vindicated in his decision after Costa stepped up to net a superbly taken winner in the 93rd minute:

Ronaldo was denied his second European goal of the season when midfielder Aaron Ramsey stole in to touch his saved free-kick over the line:

The result meant Sarri's side climbed three points above Atletico Madrid in Champions League Group D after the Spaniards lost 2-1 away to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri are now guaranteed to finish among the top two in their pool and will proceed to the round of 16 for a sixth season in a row.

Sarri will perhaps be wary of his side growing too reliant on Ronaldo, who is contracted to the Old Lady until June 2022.

Italian football writer Adam Digby praised the manager for his confidence in making changes despite the scores being level when Ronaldo came off:

The upcoming international break is well timed in that it could give Ronaldo a chance to recuperate. However, Portugal manager Fernando Santos may have other plans in mind ahead of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Lithuania (Nov. 14) and Luxembourg (Nov. 17).

Serie A leaders Juventus will host 11th-place AC Milan on Sunday evening, when they'll hope to extend their unbeaten start to the season having yet to taste defeat in 15 games under Sarri.