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Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri has backed Matthijs de Ligt to reach the top of the game despite a mixed start to his Bianconeri career.
De Ligt moved to Turin from Ajax last summer in a €75 million deal.
Sarri told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Goal's Sam France): "I am the first to be convinced that he will become the best defender in the world. He had five difficult months playing every three days and having to settle in a new country, a new league with a new language."
De Ligt was thrown in at the deep end at Juventus when Giorgio Chiellini ruptured his cruciate ligament one match into the season.