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Pjanic hails 'exceptional' Allegri

Miralem Pjanic has hailed Max Allegri for his ‘exceptional management’ of Juventus and revealed that he turned down France.

Allegri brought Pjanic to Juve from Roma three years ago, while the midfielder moved to France when he was just 14 years of age.

“Allegri was always exceptional in managing us. It’s not easy to manage a group, but our Coach was always able to,” he said at a club workshop.

“I could’ve played for France. Sportingly speaking, it would’ve been the best thing to do.

“At 18, when I played for Lyon, their CT called me. He was interested in me, but it was too bad for him that Bosnia had also contacted me not long before, and wearing their shirt had always been my dream.

“It would’ve been the most complicated option, but by the age of 17 I’d already decided.

“In Brazil, in 2014, we played the first World Cup in our history. It was a source of great pride.”

The Bosnian was then asked about what it was like to play with Cristiano Ronaldo.

“A player must always be focused. Being mentally strong is crucial for a top-level player,” explained the 29-year-old.

“An example is Cristiano Ronaldo. His concentration levels have always been out of the ordinary, both when things are going well and when they’re less so.

“He’s so strong in terms of head and so sure of himself that he always moves forward.”