Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt says he's happier playing for Andrea Pirlo than predecessor Maurizio Sarri.

De Ligt was back in action for Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Cagliari.

"They were hard months, I worked so hard to come back and play. Today I am very happy, for the whole team," De Ligt told Sky Sport.

“It was a tough period but suffering can be positive sometimes. I played some games with a dislocated shoulder but I am happy we won the league last season.

“We have a different mentality. Last year we wanted to press high but with Pirlo we play a more modern football. We defend one against one leaving a lot of space behind us. I like it, I used to do the same at Ajax.

“We have room for improvement," the Dutchman continued.

“Soon we'll reach 100%, now we are at the 70% of our potential. There are many strong teams this season, the league is harder nut also more stimulating.

“We have many opponents: Milan, Inter, Lazio, Atalanta and Napoli . It's a tough championship but we are only focused on ourselves, we have a very competitive team to win the title."