Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has no doubts about the commitment of Cristiano Ronaldo.

After their Champions League elimination by Porto, Ronaldo has been linked with a return to Real Madrid.

But ahead of facing Cagliari, Pirlo said: “Ronaldo is fine. It's natural he is disappointed by what happened the other night, as is everyone. He trained well and has recovered to play tomorrow night.

“It's natural there are rumours after the elimination, as he is the most important player in the world along with Lionel Messi. He has always done well for us, scoring 90-odd goals and more than proved his worth.

“The project started in recent years planned the enrichment of the squad with players of a certain pedigree. It's impossible to create a team just of young players. This was the initial project and it will be for the future as well."

This is Pirlo's first season as a coach, but he does have more experience than most as a player.

“I had many of these situations in my career, as I won a great deal and also lost. I always tried to get back on track despite disappointment and we'll do the same here.

“Our season didn't end on Tuesday, we still have Serie A games to play and the Coppa Italia Final. We resume with the urge to show we are Juventus and we can react to negative moments by getting the best out of ourselves. It depends on us and the targets we've set ourselves.

“When you start, you hope to win every game, but that is not possible. This isn't like in your dreams, you have to work hard and know that there will also be defeats.

“Our path will not change, we must have faith and believe in ourselves. We are convinced that we still have a great future ahead of us."